Ramón Nogueras , psychologist, consultant and author of Why We Believe in Bullshit, stopped by The Nomu Hour to talk to us about something essential for entrepreneurs and leaders: how our mind works when making decisions, building beliefs and facing uncertainty.

Beliefs are not born from data, they are born from context.

One of the great myths in business (and personal) decision-making is that we act rationally. But as Ramón points out: "We don't believe something because it's true, but because it fits with what we feel, desire, or fear."

This has enormous implications for any founder. The beliefs your users or customers have about your product, your brand, or the industry may be more influenced by their environment and emotions than by evidence.

• Takeaway: It's not enough to be right; you have to create an emotional and social context to support that reason.

The role of storytelling (and pseudoscience) in the construction of certainties

In the episode, Ramón reviews how pseudoscience and magical thinking make their way into our lives because they offer simple, powerful, and comforting narratives.

And this also applies to the startup world: when storytelling becomes a tool to sell certainties where there are only hypotheses, we run the risk of self-deception and deception.

• Insight: Narrative honesty (including sharing doubt) generates more trust than forced omniscience.

Luck, success, and meritocracy: what biases hide

As a true communicator, Ramón also debunks the idea that success is solely a result of merit. In reality, multiple biases (such as hindsight and survivorship biases) distort how we perceive other people's careers.

This is key for founders: many "correct" decisions weren't so until the context allowed them to be. Believing that everything depends solely on effort can lead to burnout or disregard for structural variables.

• Takeaway: Build your project with epistemic humility: accept that many things don't depend on you, but how you respond to them does.

The attention economy and the myth of addiction

One of the most provocative points was his analysis of social media use. Ramón suggests we stop calling everything that traps us "addiction" and start talking about loss of control.

It's not about demonizing technology, but rather about understanding the design mechanisms behind it and regaining agency.

• Advice for tech entrepreneurs: design products that generate meaningful use, not just dwell time. There's more fidelity in purpose than in the dopaminergic loop.

How to avoid believing in bullshit?

Ramón doesn't leave the episode without giving us some tools. In the face of the avalanche of information and misinformation, he proposes three things:

• Train in critical thinking.

• Accept the discomfort of not knowing.

• Cultivate reasonable doubt as a value.

For anyone who leads, undertakes, or builds—these aren't just recommendations, they're key skills for navigating the chaos.

Resources mentioned

Why We Believe in Bullshit, a book by Ramón Nogueras.

Conspiracy Theory : A Critical History of the World, a book that addresses how conspiracy narratives are constructed.

Article on hindsight bias in The Decision Lab.