Expecting a book that would make me laugh, I was pleasantly surprised to find it's far more than that. Not only does Dr. Helmreich entertain, he teaches, and makes it fun to learn. His observations hit home with me, describing and accounting for a few "dumb" things I've done in life. An even greater "Aha" moment came when his descriptions seemed to predict and detail the public embarrassments of so many famous people. Helmreich's thoughts on risk, how we analyze it unconsciously (and often incorrectly) and make decisions accordingly, was fascinating.

This book was easy to read, to pick up for a few minutes now and then, although it made me want to sit still and read straight through all at once! I will definitely read this again and will refer to some specific parts as I see them applied in real life.

I don't know if I'm a strong enough character to make positive changes in my life based on what I learned in this book, but the author certainly did his part, and now it's up to me! ( )

I enjoyed this entertaining read chronicling the stupid actions of people and what motivates people to make these very very bad decisions. This book provides a brief look at these evidences of human foibles and delivers interesting and entertaining analysis of what on earth these people were thinking. Its not a deep read, but that is totally Ok because the volume delivers good writing and often funny thoughts throughout. It is a good pick it up and put it down read for those with very busy lives that are looking for a bit of diversion. ( )

"What Was I Thinking? The Dumb Things We Do and How to Avoid Them" proposes to explain why people, especially famous people, do the things that lead to scandal and undesirable headlines. The notorious blunders of Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, Tiger Woods,Martha Stewart, and others are described; and each chapter details a motivating factor, such as arrogance, ambition and greed, or the need for justice and honor.

While the explanations offered provide some plausible reasons for the falls from grace that are presented, the book misses the mark in several ways. During the first chapter, Helmreich asserts that the social changes of the past 50 years have caused our values to change such that the rare scandal of yesterday is a frequent occurrence
today. It is hard to believe there are proportionally more men seeking illicit sex today, more people trying to cheat on their on their taxes, or creating Ponzi schemes today than in times past. It would be a difficult task to find any of the described contemporary scandals that doesn't have a Biblical predecessor. The change is in the access to information and the vigorous reporting that occurs today.

The descriptions of the likely thought processes of the scandal-prone seem highly speculative, and cannot be verified. Bill Clinton supposedly believed Americans would react to news of his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky with a shrug, because history is full of presidents who have had extra-marital affairs. Helmreich unequivocally states that Bernie Madoff is a sociopath; a diagnosis that is not confirmed.

Two factors that are associated with notoriously dumb behavior are given short shrift in the book: the pursuit of illicit sex at the risk of losing everything, and attitudes toward women. Several of the profiled scandals are about people seeking to satisfy sexual urges in ways that are not condoned by society. There is something special about the level of risk public figures, especially men, are willing to take to satisfy sexual urges, but "What Was I Thinking" does not give the pursuit of illicit sex the attention it deserves. Also, several examples are about men who are driven to the extreme because they are dealing with women who have more power than they do; such as the road rage case that involved a male perpetrator and a female police officer, and the man who lost a game of ping-pong to a woman. The fact that Helmreich points out the gender those involved underscores the need to explore how the mens' attitudes toward women are important.

Helmreich speculates that Senator Larry Craig's behavior in the airport men's room might have been better tolerated if committed by Congressman Barney Frank in liberal Massachusetts. His assertion is an insult to Representative Frank and the people of Massachusetts. Barney Frank is well liked by his constituency because he is honest with them. The possibility that Senator Craig is gay, and cannot cope with the truth about himself is not explored. Also the book makes a factual error in repeatedly stating Senator Craig represented Utah, when in fact, he served as senator from Idaho.

Finally, the solutions provided at the end of "What Was I Thinking"; e.g., respect others, curb your appetite for power, and learn to listen, among others, are hardly new, and unlikely to prevent anyone from making another stupid mistake. ( )

I actually liked this book more than I thought I would. It's not meant, in my opinion, for a straight read, but rather, I enjoyed picking it up, and looking for stories I liked. It takes us through many "current events," and stupid things people have done. We get some insight as to why these things happen. It is not meant to be a story of antidotes, but there are many, which I enjoyed. It made it easy to get through the sociological studies. I don't know that it's a self help book, but it is an interesting read. ( )

This book discusses many public figures who have done what we all consider to be dumb things - Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, Tiger Wood's many affairs, people lying on their resumes, etc. The author gives many reasons why people do these things. In fact, this is most of the book. Only a small chapter at the end discusses how to avoid doing these dumb things.

The book was interesting to me at first, but it seemed to get repetitive. I found myself skimming over pages rather than reading them. ( )