Author: Barry Schwartz ISBN: 978-0062449924 The dark side of being able to choose (too much). EXCERPTS The fact that some choice is good doesn’t necessarily mean that more choice is better. As a culture, we are enamored of freedom, self-determination, and variety, and we are reluctant to give up any of our options. But clinging tenaciously to all the choices available to us contributes to bad decisions, to anxiety, [...]
Author: Michael Lewis ISBN: 978-0393354775 This book is a story about how two psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky came to wrote a series of original papers that invented the field of behavioral economics. The first one claimed the Nobel Prize and their work is thoroughly described in the book Thinking, Fast and Slow (you can find it under Books). EXCERPTS In the early 1960s the psychologist Walter Mischel created [...]
Author: Esther Perel ISBN: 978-1473673557 Self-explanatory title. EXCERPTS Infidelity happens in good marriages, in bad marriages, and even when adultery is punishable by death. It happens in open relationships where extramarital sex is carefully negotiated beforehand. And the freedom to leave or divorce has not made cheating obsolete. Contemporary discourse about the topic can be summed up as follows: Infidelity must be a symptom of a relationship gone awry. If [...]
Author: Jordan B. Peterson ISBN: 978-0345816023 I guess Mr. Peterson needs no introduction. A frontman of the Western/ Christian worldview. What I really enjoy about Mr. Peterson is his clarity of thought and PRECISE expression. I recommend reading this book in addition to his numerous YouTube videos. EXCERPTS I've listened to the Audible narration so saddly I haven't compiled any notes. Still, I've included the book on the list because [...]
Author: Jonathan Haidt ISBN: 978-0465028023 The best book on happines I've read so far. Period. EXCERPTS [I've listened to Audible version. These excerpts are thus my selection of favourite excerpts published by Derek Sivers.] Elephant = Unconscious part of the mind Rider = Conscious, reasoning part of the mind We might already have encountered the Greatest Idea, the insight that would have transformed us had we savored it, [...]
Author: Gabor Maté ASIN: B07CJNMY2H Some really interesting research and thoughts on (treating) addiction! EXCERPTS What, in the short term, did it give you that you craved or liked so much?” And universally, the answers are: “It helped me escape emotional pain; helped me deal with stress; gave me peace of mind, a sense of connection with others, a sense of control.” Such responses illuminate that addiction is neither a [...]
Author: William E. Irvine ISBN: 978-0195374612 By far the best book about Stoic philosophy, the philosophy of life I try to live by. EXCERPTS The Stoic philosophy of life may be old, but it merits the attention of any modern individual who wishes to have a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling — who wishes, that is, to have a good life. The Stoics realized that a life [...]
Author: Pejman Ghadimi ISBN: 978-0985601331 A book about the mindset needed to succeed. Money is just a leverage on the path to self-actualization! EXCERPTS These visionaries possess passion, determination, and the strong belief that their life’s purpose is to bring these innovations to life. Therefore, they live a life devoted to building on their ideas or projects so they will eventually change the world as they see fit. How does [...]
Author: Esther Perel ASIN: B000UODXP0 The book tackles the challenges of modern romances, especially the love/ lust split. EXCERPTS We all share a fundamental need for security, which propels us toward committed relationships in the first place; but we have an equally strong need for adventure and excitement. Modern romance promises that it’s possible to meet these two distinct sets of needs in one place. For some of us, love [...]
Author: Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga ISBN: 978-1501197277 For many years the Freudian psychology reasonated really well with me. One of it's core premises is that our behavior is in large part determined by the past events. It was easy for me to adopt such perspective. It placed responsibility for my behavior on people around me (usually the parents). Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud, believed that past events do [...]