Shortform Books

How to Rebel: Pushing Boundaries in the Name of Fun

Are you a rule keeper or a rule breaker? What would happen if you pushed back against your own habits and others’ expectations? In The Power of Fun, Catherine Price uses research and personal anecdotes to explain why fun is fundamental to living a happy and healthy life and how everyone can start having more fun. One of these ways is to push the boundaries of what’s perceived as normal for you and even society. Keep reading to learn how to rebel and have more fun.

Should AI Be Regulated? (& How It Would Be Done)

Should AI be regulated? What are experts’ concerns about AI? Is AI regulation even possible? A growing number of experts are calling for regulation of advanced AI models, saying the technology poses an existential threat to humanity if left to develop unchecked. However, there’s no clear consensus on who should regulate AI or exactly what the process should look like. Here are some possible approaches in which the US government is involved fully, in part, or not at all.

America’s Obesity Epidemic: How Comfortable Diets Can Kill

Do you eat even when you’re not hungry? Do you tend to reach for a pizza instead of a salad? One of the consequences of our modern lifestyles is obesity. Michael Easter discusses some of the harmful effects that comfortable diets have on health, and he points the finger at several causes. Read more to learn about some of the causes of America’s obesity epidemic, including an ancient one.

The 5 Sage Powers: How to Combat Your Saboteurs

What are the five Sage powers? How can they help you to combat your Saboteurs? According to Positive Intelligence, the Sage powers are a set of abilities that can help combat self-sabotage and the influence of Saboteurs. These powers serve as antidotes to the negative influence of the Judge and other Saboteurs that create damaging, irrational thoughts. Read on to learn about the five Sage powers and how to use them, according to Positive Intelligence.

What Is the Placebo Effect in Psychology & How Does It Work?

What is the placebo effect in psychology? How can you make the placebo effect work for you, rather than against you? Perhaps the most well-known expectation effect is the placebo effect. While some people are against the placebo effect, David Robson’s book The Expectation Effect asserts that it can actually be used to improve your health and life. Check out how the placebo effect can create a positive impact on you.

How to Focus on the Positives When Dealing With Trauma

How do you focus on the positives when you’re constantly exposed to negativity? How can a positive outlook on life help you cope with trauma? It may feel hard to get rid of negative thoughts when you’ve been exposed to secondary trauma as a caretaker. With the help of Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, you can shift your focus to the positive things in life, even if they’re small. Find out how to focus on the positive and get rid of the negativity that’s dampening your mood.

The 5 Mental Errors That Cause Inaccurate Predictions

Have you ever made a prediction that turned out to be wrong? What mental errors thwart accurate forecasting? In The Signal and the Noise, Nate Silver examines mental errors that make your predictions inaccurate. These include making faulty assumptions, being overconfident, trusting data and technology too readily, seeing what you want to see, and following the wrong incentives. Keep reading to learn how these mental errors cause inaccurate predictions.

How Does Someone Manipulate You and Get Away With It?

How does someone manipulate you in a con game? How do they ensure your silence afterward? In The Confidence Game, Maria Konnikova explains that one of the most important parts of a game is ensuring that the victim won’t rat them out. They do this by emotionally manipulating the victim to feel ashamed or embarrassed about their gullibility. Let’s look at how easy it is to become manipulated by others.

How to Learn Concepts: The Value of Conceptual Knowledge

How well can you explain what you know to others? How might you go past a surface-level knowledge of something and reach a deep understanding? True learning entails comprehension. You can memorize a set of facts and never understand them. Not only is conceptual knowledge valuable in itself, but you also can use it as a springboard to elevate you to an even higher level of learning. Continue reading for tips on how to learn concepts—and to understand the value of doing so.

Using Future-Back Thinking to Shape Your Company’s Tomorrow

What’s future-back thinking? How can it boldly take your business into the future? In Lead From the Future, business strategists Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz argue that, to drastically improve your organization’s chances of successful growth in the long term, you must anticipate and shape the future rather than simply react to challenges as they arise. Read more to learn about this approach and how it can work for your business.