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mc_kenna's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
Boring did not like. I thought it would be more relevant to psychology.
christopherharris's review against another edition
4.0
A quick and thought-provoking read. If you like Malcolm Gladwell or similar books you will like Sway.
jonscott9's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, how I wish I could retain more of what I read in this one! Such important notes on such all-too-human tendencies such as loss aversion, snap judgments, instincts, short-term impulse vs. long-term view, and the beat goes on.
Especially intriguing were the sections about loss aversion (how we try to avoid the pain of a loss, or seeing something as such) and value attribution, which explained how we often find it so hard, if unconsciously so, to change our takes on some things (people) after making initial judgments about them.
Started this three months before I finished it, picking it up periodically and having a lot of it fall out of my head. For shame. The epilogue helped tie it all back together to an extent. I do recall a great deal of the section about job interviewing making complete sense, and in light of how I was interviewed in that setting the last time. It's absurd sometimes, the questions asked (and not asked) and the reasons why some managers end up taking to certain applicants over others. (This just in: It ain't a meritocracy out there.)
Perhaps most compelling were the painstaking details surrounding the huge question "WHY?" as it pertained to a highly regarded pilot's inexplicable decision to put hundreds of lives in danger on a particular takeoff. Unfortunately that account got to be arduous to read. As it turned out, the writing throughout this book had a spry cadence at first and then became a bit of a slog, possibly due to my own come-and-go relationship with it.
Eagerly I took to the light shone on the Supreme Court and its own "sway" dynamics, the personalities of the justices and how they decide what cases to hear and whether/when to write opinions. Justice David Souter's take on the highest court in the land was intriguing. These authors (brothers) really snagged some high-end interviews here.
Recommended for anyone willing to admit that the titular behavior seeps into life sometimes, which should be each of us.
Especially intriguing were the sections about loss aversion (how we try to avoid the pain of a loss, or seeing something as such) and value attribution, which explained how we often find it so hard, if unconsciously so, to change our takes on some things (people) after making initial judgments about them.
Started this three months before I finished it, picking it up periodically and having a lot of it fall out of my head. For shame. The epilogue helped tie it all back together to an extent. I do recall a great deal of the section about job interviewing making complete sense, and in light of how I was interviewed in that setting the last time. It's absurd sometimes, the questions asked (and not asked) and the reasons why some managers end up taking to certain applicants over others. (This just in: It ain't a meritocracy out there.)
Perhaps most compelling were the painstaking details surrounding the huge question "WHY?" as it pertained to a highly regarded pilot's inexplicable decision to put hundreds of lives in danger on a particular takeoff. Unfortunately that account got to be arduous to read. As it turned out, the writing throughout this book had a spry cadence at first and then became a bit of a slog, possibly due to my own come-and-go relationship with it.
Eagerly I took to the light shone on the Supreme Court and its own "sway" dynamics, the personalities of the justices and how they decide what cases to hear and whether/when to write opinions. Justice David Souter's take on the highest court in the land was intriguing. These authors (brothers) really snagged some high-end interviews here.
Recommended for anyone willing to admit that the titular behavior seeps into life sometimes, which should be each of us.
aubrey_the_explorer's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool concepts. I enjoyed how they introduce them through real life examples and research studies. Plus I learned about several research projects and real life events that I was previously unfamiliar with, so that was an added bonus.
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed it. Very interesting things to think about. Big topic left completely off the table: how racism affects us all (the section on job interviews made me think about that - and how it might be written differently today). Also, wondered how the financial incentive - which they go a long way to debunking- plays out in corporate America (again, completely not discussed what factors of CEO compensation drive decision making and whether that is always best for the company itself).
But very interesting none the less.
But very interesting none the less.
tintinintibet's review against another edition
2.0
so this book took a couple hours to read and had overlapping material to "predictably irrational". which was fine, all these books are pretty much addressing the same quirky sort of pop-psychology-statistics-business crap. but i think i liked this one a bit more; maybe the examples were less laboratory-based (though both books use EXACTLY the same examples at times) and felt a bit more real -- e.g. is it weird that French or Russian audiences are dramatically different than American ones in helping out contestants on "who wants to be a millionaire"?? i would say no. but then....what? Why would 56% of the French audience say that the sun revolved around the earth? Are they stupid?
Hence: quirky-pop-psychology-statistics-business crap.
Hence: quirky-pop-psychology-statistics-business crap.