The World's Best Book Summaries
Are facial expressions universal? It seems clear that some facial expressions, like those expressing sadness or happiness, are universal–but are they? We’ll cover the research on whether facial expressions are universal. Along the way, we’ll look at some of the dangers of making assumptions about people based on their facial cues and body language.
How do you spread your marketing message? How do you make sure your marketing communication is striking a chord with your target audience? According to entrepreneur and author Simon Sinek, an effective marketing message starts with WHY. We’ll cover why you should start with why in your marketing, and how to do it effectively.
The primary reason that most people cannot immediately identify when a stranger is lying is that human beings default to assuming truth in others. This is called the Truth-Default Theory. Is it possible to learn how to spot a liar? We’ll cover why it’s so hard to know how to spot a liar and discuss some biases to look out for.
What is Paul Ekman’s FACS (facial action coding system)? What can it teach you about how transparent our emotions really are? Can you read someone’s feelings on her face? We’ll cover how Paul Ekman’s FACS system works and why you shouldn’t always judge people’s feelings or intentions by their facial expressions.
In our modern, seemingly borderless world, we have no choice but to interact with strangers. Yet we, as a society, are incompetent at making sense of the strangers we come across. So what should we do? Can we learn how to talk to strangers? We’ll discuss the three problems that cause us to have failed interactions with strangers and discuss how to talk to strangers in ways that are more successful. From Malcolm Gladwell’s Talking to Strangers.
Do people make the same facial expressions in different cultures? More importantly, do they mean the same thing? We’ll cover one study that indicates that facial expressions in different cultures do not indicate the same feelings. Learn why you can never make assumptions about how people feel based on their faces, especially people from different cultural backgrounds.
The primary reason that most people can’t immediately detect a lie is that human beings default to assuming truth in others. Is it possible to learn how to detect a lie? We’ll cover the reasons it’s difficult to know how to detect a lie, and we’ll look at why you’ve evolved to assume the best in people.
Do you know how to tell if someone is lying through their body language? Is body language really the key to detecting a lie? We’ll cover why it’s hard to learn how to spot a liar through body language and what signals to watch for (and why mismatching might throw you off).
What are enhanced interrogation techniques? On what kinds of subjects are they used? Are they effective? Enhanced interrogation techniques are techniques including walling, sleep deprivation, and waterboarding. They’re often used in the fight against terrorism. Learn why enhanced interrogation techniques may be counterproductive, leading to misleading or false confessions.
Is there enough communication in medicine? Can a checklist help doctors, nurses, and specialists better work together to keep patients safe? We’ll cover how the humble checklist can improve communication in medicine and dramatically impact patients.