The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the attention crisis? How does it affect our ability to read and think? Stolen Focus by journalist Johann Hari makes the case that we have an attention crisis, which means we’re all losing the ability to concentrate. He argues that it’s the result of outside forces and not people being lazy. Let’s look at how the attention crisis is affecting our minds.
How can you practice mindfulness every day? What are the benefits of everyday mindfulness? Practicing mindfulness in your daily life has many benefits, including reducing anxiety. In Unwinding Anxiety, Dr. Judson Brewer offers two mindful techniques that you should incorporate into your daily routine. Read more to learn the two mindfulness techniques that can help you cope with anxiety.
Do you take into account probability when making decisions? Why do we make decisions that contradict probabilistic logic? Understanding probability can be especially relevant to our daily lives because we make decisions based on our perception of probability all the time. However, our perception of likely outcomes is often mathematically irrational. This is because thinking in probabilities isn’t intuitive: Most people think in terms of binary categories of “yes,” “no,” and “maybe.” Here’s why we make decisions that contradict probabilistic logic.
What is inferential analysis? What can inferential statistics tell us about data? In simple terms, inferential statistics are a kind of combination of data and probability. Just as probability is never a guarantee of an outcome, there are no definitive answers in inferential statistics. Rather, inferential statistics help us use what we do know to make math-based best guesses about what we want to know. Keep reading for the ultimate guide to inferential statistics.
Want to know how to expand your knowledge? What are the benefits of regularly learning new things? Steven Kotler is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist who wrote The Art of Impossible after studying how elite performers achieve extremely difficult goals. To help you expand your knowledge quicker, Kotler reveals the secret habits of elite performers and why they obtain success more often. Read on to learn Kotler’s 25-minute method for expanding your knowledge through a daily routine.
How does the human brain work? What are the most noteworthy features of the human brain? The brain is a complicated organ. In spite of all the progress we’ve made toward understanding the brain, we still know very little about its inner workings. At the most basic level, there are two key attributes of the human brain you should understand: interconnectedness and neuroplasticity. With this in mind, here’s a look at how the human brain works.
What does The Prince instruct national leaders to do? Is it an accurate depiction of Renaissance political life? In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli instructs the reader on how princes may seize, maintain, and defend their power, encouraging them to embrace cruelty and deception as necessary tools in their arsenal. He does this through simple maxims and historical examples. Here’s our overview of the lessons that Machiavelli teaches in The Prince.
Why would someone buy a Tesla? Why do some people post photos of their glitzy hotel rooms on Instagram? Just as body language allows us to communicate about things we’d never put into words, Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson argue that many of our actions double as social signals or conspicuous fitness displays. This is especially noticeable when it comes to how we spend our money and other resources. Read more to understand the concept of social signaling through spending.
What’s the difference between lifestyle and hyper-growth startups? How do you know which type of startup business is right for you? Entrepreneurs Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba, in their book The Unfair Advantage, describe two types of startups: lifestyle and hyper-growth. They offer recommendations for how to determine which type of startup you should pursue. The factors to consider, they say, are your purpose, your desired lifestyle, and your unfair advantages. Read more for Ali and Kubba’s insight into different types of startups.
What’s “the good life”? How is moral virtue achieved? What’s the greatest virtue of all? These are some of the questions that ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle discusses in the Nicomachean Ethics book. He argues that the best and happiest life consists of the rational pursuit of virtue. He explains the different kinds of virtues, how to become virtuous, and the greatest virtue of all: wisdom. Keep reading to learn more about this classic work.