The World's Best Book Summaries
What is a loss of individuality? How can losing your sense of self and others cause evil? In The Lucifer Effect, psychologist Philip Zimbardo states that losing awareness of individuals can shift your morals. He also explains how this loss affected participants in the Stanford Prison Experiment. Continue reading to learn more about how a loss of individuality can affect morality.
What are “near enemies”? What are some examples of emotional near enemies? According to Brené Brown, emotions and traits have “near enemies”—states that feel similar but come from a different place. For example, the near enemy of hope is blind optimism, and the near enemy of self-sufficiency is hyper-independence. Here are some of the common near enemies you might fight within yourself.
Is Nathaniel Branden’s The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem worth reading? How did readers rate the book? In The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden challenges the prevailing assumption that self-esteem is unconditional love for yourself. Instead, he argues that your self-esteem depends on your behavior—and that only by behaving according to certain tenets, or pillars, can you improve your self-esteem. He also examines the role external influences play on your self-esteem and how you can influence others’ self-esteem with the right behaviors. Keep reading for The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem review and commentary.
What are identity cues? How does the Stanford Prison Experiment show how identity cues can change your morals? Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says it’s normal to adapt our identity to our environment. However, he says that certain identity cues can influence us to do things that aren’t rational or morally good. Read more about identity cues, as explained in The Lucifer Effect.
What’s the difference between noise vs. bias? Which one is a worse issue when it comes to making decisions? Noise and bias are the two main errors that occur when humans make a judgment. They are often confused, but the authors of the book Noise make a clear distinction between the two ideas. Here’s how to understand the difference between noise and bias.
Do you feel like you’re wasting your life? How can you stop wasting your time on things that don’t contribute to your happiness? Most of us waste tremendous energy and effort on things that don’t ultimately matter. According to Richard Koch, the 80/20 principle can help clear out the waste in your life and devote your energy to the people and activities that bring you joy and success. Here’s how to stop wasting your life by applying the 80/20 principle.
What is the difference between guilt and shame? Where do shame and guilt stem from? According to Brené Brown, shame and guilt are similar emotions. Brown says that shame is feeling inadequate and unworthy as a person, while guilt is feeling bad for something we’ve done rather than for who we are. Here’s how Brené Brown explains shame and guilt.
What do you do when things don’t go your way? Do you blame external circumstances, or do you take it on your own account? What does it mean to take responsibility for your life? Taking responsibility, Nathaniel Branden says, means taking ownership of your life, behavior, and well-being. In other words, you stop the external factors for your misfortunes—you take responsibility where it’s due. Keep reading to learn what taking responsibility is, why it matters, and how you can facilitate it by completing practical exercises.
What makes a person evil? Is it easy to become evil? The Lucifer Effect dives into the circumstantial factors that Philip Zimbardo believes can influence anyone to do evil. These factors include identity cues, social pressures, and losing awareness of individuality. Keep reading to learn what makes someone evil.
What is decision hygiene? How can following the decision hygiene principles help you filter out noise and bias and make the best choices? The term “decision hygiene” comes from the book Noise by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein. The book focuses on how to improve the judgments that affect some of the most important aspects of our lives, including our justice system, medical care, education, and business decisions. Here’s how to practice good decision hygiene, according to Noise.