Dan Ariely’s Top 4 Books For Understanding The Human Mind

Dan Ariely, of TED and Wall Street Journal fame, is a Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and the author of five books on human behavior, motivations, and decision-making. He is an expert at explaining the workings of the human mind in simple and engaging terms and the books he has curated for Blinkist, seek to do the same. Together these four books will teach you how to take charge of your life, by changing how you think about the decisions that you make and the goals that you set.

Learn about persuasion, how to harness and strengthen willpower, why you shouldn’t trust your intuition and how you can find meaning in life:

Influence by Robert B. Cialdini

Why did you say yes to that pushy salesperson that ambushed you on the street? Influence has the answer. This book looks at the fundamental principles of persuasion that get us to say yes, but also how these are used against us by, to use our example, salespeople. Learn how to shield yourself against persuasion tactics, as well as how to use them in your favor.

Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney

Perhaps you’ve heard it too, that willpower is not something we can control or strengthen? In this book, however, the authors debunk the view previously held by many experts and show that willpower CAN be strengthened and bent to help you reach the goals you set for yourself.

The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons

How many times have you said something starting with the phrase: “Based on my intuition..”? You might want to use it more sparingly in the future. In The Invisible Gorilla, the authors lay out arguments for why your intuition cannot be trusted. As it turns out, what we believe to be our intuition is more of a false illusion.

Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

This ain’t nothing for the faint of heart, but it bears an important and beautiful message. Viktor Frankl survived the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz and his book “Man’s Search For Meaning” recounts his experiences. How can humans survive the seemingly unsurvivable, process trauma, and find meaning in life” the blinks to Payoff a read and check out the titles in the book list here.

Dan also appeared on our podcast, give it a listen!