# The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson

4 Hacker News commenters recommended The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for explaining how humans evolved to deceive themselves about their true motives, and for changing how readers see everyday behavior.

## Why people recommend it

- Explains hidden motives behind everyday behavior (1 comments): "Recommend this book about how we have evolved to deceive ourselves about our true motives" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45961849))
- Changed how a reader thinks (1 comments): "I learned this from "The Elephant in the Brain", which I strongly recommend" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49627747))
- Impressed a reader this year (1 comments): "this year two impressed me" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46392058))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Enshittification by Cory Doctorow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197551955?tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/YOURID/9780197551950) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson", https://hackerapproved.com/p/elephant-in-the-brain/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).