South Africans not quite glass half full people we perceive ourselves to be – Michael Charton

South Africans are people with a ‘lekker’ sense of humour. This can be seen in how we approach advertisements which reflect our sunny and humorous side and we have the ability to joke about serious matters. But are South Africans really people with a positive outlook? If you listen to conversations around the braai and comments on social media, it is clear that South Africans are presently exceptionally negative about the country and its future. And who can blame us as we grapple with electricity blackouts, economic growth that barely registers on a graph; rating agencies waiting to tell us that our economy is junk and people ready to blame it all on race. Michael Charton, the inventor of ‘My Father’s Coat’ found this attitude reflected in a book that he found in London by Bobby Duffy about human misperception, which helped him to get a better idea of human bias and why humans are attracted to negative news. And the book dispels our perception of ourselves as funny people who can roll with the punches.  Duffy said South Africans perceptions about reality were the worst out of 40 countries. He discusses this and a book that provides more insight into the American psyche with fellow bookworm Alec Hogg. - Linda van Tilburg