This is a Time for Books

Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman.

This is a classic. Insights into behaviours and psychology abound in every chapter, covering a variety of experiments and subjects. Had I read this as a young adult, I would have been wiser at a younger age. A particular favourite is the “Peak-End Rule”; helped me understand why you could work with someone so long and quite well, but then a bad ending ruins it all.

Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics, Richard Thaler.

Certainly wisdom to be gained from reading this one, but my geeky self especially loved learning about how the new field of Behavioral Economics was created.  Without knowing the story you’d assume it would have been easy, and logical, to create the field, but, no!, it took a lot of courage, and there were some serious standoffs. A fun read.

Personality Brokers, Merve Emre.

Being in the “assessment” field, Attuned has often been misunderstood as a personality test. This book is a takedown of the grandmother of them all – the Myers-Briggs test. Emre brings the story of the pseudo-science of MYBT to life, and delves in to why it has had such resonance with so many people, surviving being scientifically debunked on multiple occasions. I’ve become a Merve Emre fan on reading this.

Talking to Strangers, Malcom Gladwell.

This author needs little introduction. His latest delve into how both our human brains and social constructs work uses interesting human and historical stories to shed light on how we are wired to interact with strangers. You’ll come away with a handful of insights in to our behaviour and have them reinforced with vivid stories. Kansas City-style policing will stay in the mind for a long time.

Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore.

This one made the list being pre-disposed to psychology and having teenagers in the house. Months after reading, the key takeaway seared in to my mind is that the teenage brain has an architectural structure all to its own – structurally different from both an adult brain and a child’s brain. Knowing that will hopefully bring a lot more empathy into how we interact with teenagers.

Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior, Leonard Mlodinow.

This one gets in to the neuroscience of why we act the way we do. Packed with accessible, lively stories that will stay in your (subliminal) brain. Even its clever book cover is a conversation starter, prompting several comments when we had I lying around on my desk. In this WFH environment, you’ll have to leave it lying within video shot of your Zoom camera. Don’t go for the Kindle version on this one.

The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed our Minds, Michael Lewis.

Michael Lewis has a gifted eye for finding great data-based, science-y stories that prompt change to society’s approach, and tells them with panache. I’d recommend reading this one in conjunction with Kahneman’s book above, right after for best effect. Enriches the story.

If, like me, even after succumbing to your Twitter addiction, you’ll find yourself with extra time, use that room for a good book. The list above won’t do you wrong. You’ll come away more self-aware of our collective challenges as humans.

Last minute addition:

Mindset: Psychology, Carol Dweck.

This one is so fundamental to the Attuned team that I didn’t even think to include it in the original list. It’s a book that the whole list builds upon. If you haven’t read it, start here!

Editor’s note:  Don’t forget to read fiction whenever you find something that suits your fancy. Still the best way to gain emotional intelligence while social distancing!