All of the material on the EP was produced by the Smeezingtons, the production team composed by Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, with the closing track being co-produced by Jeff Bhasker.

All of the songs from It's Better If You Don't Understand were later included on Mars's debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010), and, with the exception of "Somewhere in Brooklyn", were performed on the related concert tour of the same name.

[2] Mars explained that the strength and story behind "The Other Side", one of his favorite songs on the EP, led him to name the recording after the final lyrics on the track.

[7] In the same interview, Levine explained that "Talking to the Moon" took a long time to record, while he, Mars, and Lawrence decided which drums to use.

[6] "Talking to the Moon" was the first song written for the debut release once the three of them finished working with other artists and focused on the EP.

[9] It features "an emo-pop backing" beat,[8] and it describes, lyrically, Mars chasing the "perfect woman" who got away, and wishing to find her again.

[8] "Count On Me" draws from the works of Jason Mraz and David Cook,[8] featuring a laid back groove with a tropical influence.

[4][15] It follows Mars in a casual day in his life; showing him rehearsing, posing at photo shoots or wandering aimlessly around Los Angeles.

His artistic abilities are highlighted throughout the video as he plays various instruments, trying to integrate his overnight success with his daily life.

[3] "The Other Side", "Count on Me", and "Talking to the Moon" were included on the standard edition of the debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010).

[9] Writing for AllMusic, David Jeffries called the EP's four songs a "sparse effort that leans towards pop" and drew attention to "the man's songwriting".

He also deemed the album a "short set of easy, breezy tunes", which doesn't necessarily leave people "begging for more, but it will make most pop fans open to the idea".