What I Learned from Psych by Paul Bloom And Why You Might Need It More Than You Think
A surprising take on emotions, empathy, and the strange machinery of the mind
Let me be blunt:
Most people never question how their brain works.
They feel. They react. They scroll. They rage-post on the internet. And they never once stop to ask…
“Wait—why the hell do I do what I do?”
That’s why I picked up Psych: The Story of the Human Mind by Paul Bloom.
Not for some cozy academic takeaway. Not to quote at dinner parties. But because I wanted to see my thinking from outside my head.
And damn—this book delivered.
This isn’t a book review. This is a callout.
Here’s the deal.
We all think we’re rational. Logical. Self-aware.
We’re not.
Bloom rips that illusion apart and drags you straight into the raw machinery of your brain, where bias, instinct, and half-broken patterns run the damn show.
From the second we’re born, our minds are running ancient software. Shit coded by evolution to help us survive, not thrive.
That’s why you remember your ex’s birthday but forget why you walked into the kitchen.
That’s why you trust faces before facts.
That’s why you think you chose something, but your brain made the call way before your conscious mind caught up.
This book doesn’t coddle. It shows you the glitch.
And once you see it… You can’t unsee it.
Wanna think beyond borders?
Most people read to confirm what they already believe.
If you're reading this, I'm betting you're not most people.
This isn’t just about psychology. It’s about perspective control.
What Bloom does in Psych is pull your awareness so far out of your usual lens, you stop thinking like a consumer of thoughts and start watching the factory behind them.
He walks you through memory, perception, attention, emotion, and decision-making—and then exposes how your culture, community, and politics wire those systems differently based on where you’re born.
He’s not selling self-help. He’s showing you the code.
Beyond empathy: How we use emotions to function (and manipulate)
Another reason I loved this?
It’s not just a book about what’s in your head. It’s about what happens between our heads, too.
Bloom delves into emotions, not as “fluffy feelings” but as functional drivers.
Guilt, shame, empathy… these aren’t bugs. Their features.
They help humans cooperate. Help us build trust.
They also get hijacked by families, by media, by politics.
Once you understand how your brain responds to guilt and praise, you can spot who’s pulling the strings—and start cutting them.
That’s real freedom.
The most dangerous line in the book
This one hit hard:
“Culture doesn’t just shape what we believe, it shapes how we think.”
Yeah.
You don’t just get different values depending on where you live.
You process reality differently.
If that doesn’t freak you out and make you curious, you’re probably still thinking inside the fence.
So here’s what I think you should do
If you're a subscriber to this Beyond Borders section, I already know you’re not here to play it safe.
You're here because you want to think differently. Write differently. Live differently.
So read differently.
Pick up Psych. Not for knowledge points, but to take the red pill on how your mind works.
It’s one of those books that rearranges your thoughts. Not with fireworks, but with surgical cuts.
It doesn’t try to make you smarter.
It dares you to stop being fooled by your brain.
If you’re reading this, you’re already not like most readers.
But if you want to step into rare mental territory, here’s the move:
→ Get the book. Read one chapter a week. Start noticing your mind as a system, not a mystery.
Then:
→ Hit reply to this post or write in the comments and tell me:
What’s one thing about your mind you’ve recently questioned?
It could be a habit. A reaction. A belief. A trigger. Anything.
Because if you want to think beyond borders, you gotta start by breaching the ones in your head.
I’ll read every reply.
Let’s cross that line together.
I agree with how people have so many things to say but never question themselves. Sounds like a really good book. Thanks for the reco Alain I'll try to get a copy! :)