Thursday, July 3, 2008

49. Sway - The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior

By Ori and Rom Brafman
Rated 4 1/2 Stars

I heard these two guys interviewed on my crazy late night radio program and they were so interesting I checked the book out from the library. It is a very well written and reader friendly book about why we do what we do, and see the things we expect to see and how expectation bias changes the way we see people. Very interesting.


FROM PUBLISHERS DESCRIPTION:

A journey into the hidden psychological influences that derail our decision-making. Why is it so difficult to end a doomed relationship? Why do we listen to advice just because it came from someone "important"? Why are we more likely to fall in love when there's danger involved? Here, organizational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, answer these questions and more. Drawing on research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, Sway reveals forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion, the diagnosis bias, and the "chameleon effect." The Brafmans not only uncover rational explanations for a wide variety of irrational behaviors, but also point readers toward ways to avoid succumbing to their pull.--From publisher