These 5 Books Made Me Smarter Than Most People

5 Books That Will Make You Smarter Than 99.9% of People

I’ve read close to 65 books self-improvement, psychology, behaviorism, philosophy, business, marketing. Got to be honest: only a select few changed my perspective long term. So I narrowed it down to five for you that I believe will make you smarter than 98% of people out there.

It's not hard. Everyone's getting sucked into the brain rot of short-form content. I mean, you read any five non-fiction books, you're prob-ably 70% of the way there. Long story short: read the right five.

Thinking fast and slow Daniel Conorman

This one taught me how to get objective with my thinking instead of falling into the traps of cognitive biases. You've heard the names, but this guy put these on the map.

Key biases to watch for:

• Anchoring bias: we rely heavily on the first piece of information we hear. Hear $6,000 first? Later $4,000 feels like a steal.
  
• Availability bias: we judge things by how easily information comes to mind.
  
• Confirmation bias: we get comfort hearing what we already believe.
  
• Loss aversion: losing hurts more than winning feels good - that's why people avoid fair 50/50 bets with their life savings.
  
• Sunk cost fallacy: we stay be-cause we already invested time or money. "I can't walk away I'm already two years in."
  
  Here's the kicker: once you can see your cognitive biases, you can catch them before you make massive decisions that could alter your life. This book is dense like eating a giant salad but good for you. It's like watching your brain play magic tricks, but knowing how the tricks work.
  
  Psychology (the fifth edition) -Daniel Gilbert
  
  This is a textbook. A little out there. But if you're willing to deep dive, it's like having a hundred books in one. Neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, behaviorism distilled. It's primary-source thinking not the game of telephone that happens online where an idea gets passed and turns into a fart joke.
  
  Why it matters: go back to first principles. Don't just parrot what someone tweeted about memory or motivation. Read the source. It'll change how you explain things in newsletters, coaching, and everyday conversations.
  
  Remember when I asked you to pick a card earlier? Magic moment: I'd remove all the cards. You didn't notice because your brain filled in the information. That's memory for you more a reflection of who you are today than what actually happened then. If you're in a bad mood today, your past looks worse.
  
  If you're in a great mood, it looks rosier. Gilbert shows how much our memories cheat us. That awareness alone makes you smarter.

Stumbling on Happiness - Dan Gilbert

(Yes, I borrowed the card trick from this one.) Your memories and future predictions are biased. Your brain paints stories that feel right, not ne-cessarily true. This book will make you question what you think you know about happiness and that's powerful.

The Untethered Soul - Michael Singer

One measure of intelligence is emotional intelligence. Most people are on autopilot - sleepwalking through life. This book is about becoming aware of the thinking behind your thinking.

Big idea: You are not your thoughts. You're the one who hears them. The "inner roommate" chattering on and on that's not your essence. The essence is the still place that sees the chatter. Let that settle.

Practical payoff? I had a rough couple of years creatively numbers up and down, teams changing, businesses shutting. Old Clark would have melted. New Clark surrendered. I stopped gripping the numbers and, ironically, made bet-ter stuff. Surrender isn't giving up. It's letting go of the tiny tyrant that says "this must happen this way."

The Righteous Mind - Jonathan Height

Ever wondered why smart people believe really stupid things? This book explains why good people are divided by politics and religion. Moral reasoning is often post-hoc justification we judge, then invent reasons.

Moral taste buds: care, liberty, fairness, loyalty, authority, sanctity. Liberals tend to use a few; conser-vatives use more of them. That's why both sides think the other is morally blind. If you want to stop getting sucked into the moral wrest-ling match on social media, this book will help you view the show from a third-party seat.

Also: rereading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis alongside this gave me a weird clarity about moral instincts being universal across cultures. We've always had versions of "don't kill, don't steal." That shared moral grammar is worth thinking about.

The Lessons of History William and Ariel Durant

In 100 pages, you get 5,000 years of history lessons. Bargain of your life. The biggest takeaways: we don't learn from history; civilization is fragile; war is normal, peace is the exception. Civilization law, order, food, trade is humanity's greatest achievement. Remove it and we revert to tribal chaos in days.

Meta lesson: with all these cycles cooperation vs. competition we actually have it pretty good now. Don't waste the peace.

Why these five? (Short answer)

Because they teach you how your mind works, how people behave, how you feel, how morals shape us, and what history repeats. Read them and you'll start to see patterns instead of getting whipsawed by headlines and hype.

It hit me like a ton of bricks: read-ing isn't about volume. It's about the right ideas landing in your head and changing the wiring. You don't need 400 books to get smarter. You need the right five that turn on the lights.

Long story short read these, but don't treat them like an exam. Let them seep in. Test them in real life. Argue with them. Laugh at parts. Cry at others. Be human with them.

Stop settling. Start living. Peace.