In 'Don’t Trust Your Gut,' Seth Stephens-Davidowitz uses extensive datasets to uncover surprising and effective strategies for life’s biggest self-help puzzles. The book reveals how data from sources like dating profiles, tax records, and career trajectories contradict our instincts and offer practical, data-driven advice on topics such as finding a mate, raising children, and achieving career success. It emphasizes the importance of relying on hard facts and figures rather than gut instincts for making smarter decisions.
In this book, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz argues that while people lie in various social interactions, they are surprisingly honest when searching the internet. He uses big data from Google searches and other online activities to uncover insights into human behavior, including aspects such as racism, sex lives, parental preferences, and the impact of violent media. The book highlights the power and limitations of big data, discussing its potential to reveal deep-seated biases and improve our understanding of human nature, while also warning about its ethical implications and potential for manipulation.
Published in 2006, *Blindsight* follows a crew of astronauts on the ship Theseus as they investigate a trans-Neptunian comet transmitting an unidentified radio signal. The novel delves into themes of consciousness, free will, artificial intelligence, neurology, and game theory. Narrated by Siri Keeton, a synthesist with a unique neurological condition, the story raises questions about the essential character of consciousness and its necessity for human experience. The novel also features vampires resurrected through genetic engineering and aliens that challenge traditional notions of consciousness and communication[1][2][4].
Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].
In 'The Psychology of Money,' Morgan Housel delves into the psychological and emotional aspects of financial decisions. The book consists of 19 short stories that illustrate how personal history, worldview, emotions, and biases influence financial outcomes. Housel emphasizes the importance of behavior over knowledge in managing money, highlighting the power of compounding, the dangers of greed, and the pursuit of happiness beyond mere wealth accumulation. He advocates for a frugal lifestyle, long-term perspective, and a balanced approach to investing, stressing that financial success is more about mindset and discipline than about technical financial knowledge[2][3][4].
In 'Can't Hurt Me,' David Goggins shares his astonishing life story, from a childhood marred by poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse to becoming a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The book reveals Goggins' philosophy, known as the '40% Rule,' which suggests that most people only tap into 40% of their capabilities. He provides a wealth of practical strategies and principles for personal development, emphasizing self-discipline, accountability, and the necessity of embracing discomfort to unlock personal transformation. Goggins' story and advice serve as a blueprint for readers to push past their perceived limits, confront their fears, and unleash their full potential.
A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters is a grandly ambitious and inventive work of fiction by Julian Barnes. The book consists of 13 short stories that span across various periods of human history, from the voyage of Noah's Ark to a sneak preview of heaven. It includes tales of a cruise ship hijacked by terrorists, woodworms tried for blasphemy in medieval France, and an astronaut searching for the remains of Noah's Ark. The stories explore the relationship between fact and fabulation, history and love, and are linked by recurring themes and characters, such as the woodworms who serve as a metaphor for decay and the erosion of historical understanding.
In 'Dataclysm,' Christian Rudder delves into the world of big data to examine how people behave when they think no one is watching. Using data from OkCupid and other social media platforms, Rudder explores various aspects of human behavior, including interactions based on race, gender, and other demographic factors. The book moves away from narrative storytelling and instead uses statistical analysis and data visualization to understand human behavior on a large scale.
Richard Shotton is a behavioural scientist, Founder of Astroten and an author.
This might not be news to you, but the human brain isn't designed to be rational. There are cheat codes to get the brain to believe strange things, do strange things and change in ways you might not anticipate. Richard has one of the best insights into this world of mental models, psychology, consumer behaviour, principles for advertising and social change.
Expect to learn the marketing secret about behaviour change that everyone forgets about, how to make habit formation absolutely seamless, why IKEA is so successful even though they don't make your furniture, a hack that any advertising campaign can use to make it stick in people's minds, how to fix the problem of choice paralysis and much more...
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