Shortform Books

The World Economic Forum 2024: Takeaways & Critiques

What was discussed at the World Economic Forum 2024? What are the biggest critiques around the gathering of elites? In January, global leaders in the public and private sectors converged at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland to talk about issues like the economy, geopolitical conflicts, and the environment. While it’s brought about some meaningful change, its participants are often skittish around sensitive topics. Here’s a background on what Davos is and this year’s key takeaways.

Analyze Performance Problems by Gathering Feedback

A pen putting a ballot with a checkmark into a voter box.

What’s a good process for analyzing performance problems? What’s the best way to gather feedback? Analyzing performance problems requires feedback from yourself and from others. Sometimes it helps to set a specific time interval to check up on your progress. Here’s a tried and true method for thinking through and figuring out how to improve your performance.

What Determines Happiness? These 3 Factors

A happy, smiling man holding pink balloons in front of a city.

What determines happiness? Which happiness factors are within your control? According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, three main factors influence your overall happiness. She contends that your genetics influence 50% of your long-term happiness, your circumstances influence 10%, and your thoughts and behaviors influence 40%. Keep reading to understand the power of each of these happiness factors.

How to Read Someone: Psychology, Signs, and Outside Factors

A woman trying to read someone while talking to a man at a coffee shop.

How should you approach reading someone? What factors affect how you interpret someone’s behavior? Reading others isn’t as easy as people think it is. That’s because people unintentionally hold biases about people, and don’t always know the context behind a situation. Keep reading to learn how to read someone’s psychological cues.

Leadershift: John Maxwell on Changes You Must Embrace

A curious middle-aged man reading a book in an office.

What’s a leadershift? What changes must you make if you want to keep growing as a leader? In his book Leadershift, John Maxwell argues that today’s leaders must abandon traditional management practices and make “leadershifts.” This is the word he uses to describe changes in how people think, communicate, and act as leaders. Continue reading for an overview of Leadershift.

Why Personal Safety Is Important Public Figures & Celebrities

A man walking outside on the sidewalk while being followed by a man wearing a hood.

Why is personal safety important? Why is it so hard for high-profile people to go out in public? The significance of personal safety, especially for public figures, is a salient point in the episode “Stop Resisting Yourself & Life Will Get Easier” of the Aware & Aggravated podcast. Host Leo Skepi also advises on how to spot deceit before someone betrays or hurts you. Continue reading to learn more about why personal safety is important for people who are at risk of being attacked.

Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar: Book Overview and Takeaways

A woman with long brown hair reading a book on the couch.

What are the four happiness archetypes? Do you look forward to a time when you’ll be happier? In Happier, Tal Ben-Shahar argues that greater happiness is accessible to everyone now. Happiness is not an end goal, but an ongoing journey. Read below for a brief book overview of Happier.

Online Hate Speech: Why We Need Zero-Tolerance Policies

A woman crying while looking at her smartphone.

How bad is online hate speech today? Why do online influencers and podcast hosts employ a “zero-tolerance policy?” Brittany Broski delves into the topic of online hate and bullying in an episode of her podcast The Broski Report. She discusses why a zero-tolerance policy is necessary, and how women interpret aging based on cruel societal demands. Continue reading for Broski’s enlightening stance on inclusion and acceptance.

Christianity in the Victorian Era: When Masculinity Was Genteel

A farmer wearing overalls in a field of wheat.

What were Christian men like during the Victorian Era? How and why did masculinity change around the turn of the 20th century? A professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University, Kristin Du Mez, presents an intriguing perspective of Christianity in the Victorian era in her book Jesus and John Wayne. She focuses on men and masculinity and argues that they were quite different than they became in the 20th century. Read more to understand Du Mez’s views.

The 4 Male Archetypes: King, Warrior, Magician, Lover

A king, a warrior, a magician, and a lover.

What are the 4 male archetypes defined by Carl Jung? How can we use these archetypes to understand the male psyche? The 4 male archetypes commonly discussed include the King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover. Each archetype represents a part of the masculine psyche commonly found in men. Here is what each archetype represents and how they are related to each other.