Review by New York Times Review
Social contagion fascinates us because its power seems out of proportion to its subtlety: We are so often unaware when it is happening to us. But it is just one of the ways people influence the behavior of others. Sharot, a London neuroscientist, covers the topic more fully and more authoritatively in a book whose title gives appropriately equal billing to thought, behavior and neurons. Sharot writes, for example, about the remarkable fact that only 39 percent of hospital workers wash their hands properly. A study found that putting them under webcam surveillance didn't improve things, but adding a continuous digital display of the number of people following the rules brought compliance up to 90 percent. This dramatic improvement combines new technology with old psychology: Positive reinforcement (the reward of being told you are doing your job well) can often change behavior more than punishment. Sharot suggests that it also gives people a greater sense of control, which is more motivating than a sense of restriction. Her book is a witty survey of techniques to influence and guide human behavior. But there is still a lot more to be learned about how to best apply cognitive science to our everyday problems. We can't all be monitored by webcam-compliance-centers and be motivated only by digital leaderboards.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [September 24, 2017]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sharot (The Optimism Bias), a professor of cognitive neuroscience with a background in psychology and economics, has written a fascinating, accessible primer on what current research teaches us about the art of persuasion. Her book strives to "reveal the systematic mistakes we make when we attempt to change minds," a topic that resonates in today's divisive political climate. Sharot breaks the book into chapters focused on the different components that impact influence: "Priors (as in prior beliefs), emotion, incentives, agency, curiosity, state of mind, and other people." Each chapter draws on a variety of scholarly writings from the hard and social sciences (including Sharot's own research). She has a gift for providing engaging vignettes that are apt and illustrative for nonacademics. The writing exhibits model clarity and brisk pacing. Readers will find themselves jotting notes to apply Sharot's findings to a wide range of areas, including workplace politics, parenting, and Facebook arguments. The book closes with an overview of where the research on influence is heading (brain-to-brain influencing-no words necessary). A recap synthesizing all the separate ideas would have been welcome, but the additional research will be intriguing to many readers after such an enjoyable read. Agent: Heather Schroder, Compass Talent. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Sharot (cognitive neuroscience, Univ. Coll. London; The Optimism Bias) examines the power of influence. She argues that to influence people successfully, their behaviors must be compatible with how their thoughts. Sharing stories from both her own life as well as her lab experiments, Sharot explores the roles that emotions, agency, incentives, and curiosity play when it comes to influence. She asks thought-provoking questions to get her points across. The author also cites scholarly and popular sources while applying practical examples from her experience and the news. For example, she recalls when she lived in Manhattan and saw a terrified man run down the street, which made others follow. She joined the crowd since 9/11 was three days prior and people were still on high alert. Eventually, people stopped when they realized there was no reason to run, but because this incident happened so close to the attack on the World Trade Center, people's minds were programmed to react. Sharot's writing is clear and accessible, with figures that help to illustrate her argument. VERDICT This educational and enlightening book is highly recommended for anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, and biology.-Tina Chan, MIT Libs., Cambridge © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A pop-science tour of the brain and the "systematic mistakes we make when we attempt to change minds, as well as [an illumination of] what occurs during those instances in which we succeed."The mind works in strange ways, as Sharot (The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain, 2011), founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London, observes. Take a crowdfunding request to support two sick people, one pictured tube-draped in a hospital bed, the other by "a photo of a happy young woman glittering in sunlight"? Who gets the money? Yep: sex and the hint of happiness sell, even in bad times. This is a book full of tricks and stratagems to extend the reach of what good minds should donamely lead other minds toward doing goodand sometimes the author works against received wisdom in offering them. For instance, reading between the lines, she questions the prevailing "wisdom of the crowd," strength-in-numbers folderol of recent business and pop-psych books: "even in our world of ratings and reviews, tallying and averaging many views can lead to suboptimal solutions"suboptimal because, to put it less nicely than she does, the human herd mentality can make us jump on any number of misguided bandwagons. Feel free to think politics there, and Sharot has some useful tips on how to prevail in political arguments by working the priorsi.e., "building on common ground instead of trying to prove others wrong." The author works with a bit of a grab-bag approachdo we really need to be reminded of the fact that our fears of gruesome ways to die seldom match the gruesome ways to die that are statistically meaningful?but careful readers will discern plenty of ways to sharpen their abilities to carry an argument. Good, readable pop psychology that doesn't get too arcane but explores hidden mental corners all the same. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
