All Too Human

McLaughlin explains concepts from human factors psychology via topical stories, from the Flint Water Crisis, to Chernobyl, to seemingly illogical behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. This fascinating book explains how the mind copes with life and death situations and how we can build a safer, more enjoyable world.

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Why do people fear air travel, but text while driving? How were the travesties at the Abu Ghraib prison like a nuclear meltdown? What is the best way to throw a rocket at a robot? These are just a few questions addressed by the field of human factors psychology. These scientists use knowledge of how people think and why they act to improve the design of our world. In All Too Human, Dr. Anne McLaughlin introduces the field with vivid and topical stories that hinge on cognitive processes such as attention, memory, and decision-making. From the COVID-19 pandemic, to abandoned SCUBA divers, conspiracy theories, and the travails of online dating, McLaughlin draws on a century of research into the human mind to explain our past and predict our future.