Shortform Books

How to Read Emotions From Body Language

What can body language tell you about a person’s emotional state? What body language cues should you pay attention to when trying to decipher someone’s feelings? Body language cues can reveal a lot about how someone is feeling. If a person is feeling relaxed, secure, and comfortable, they’ll display open and expressive body language. If, on the other hand, they’re feeling insecure or threatened, they’ll exhibit closed and comforting body language. Keep reading to learn how to read emotions from body language.

How to Develop Ideas: Turning Insights Into Innovations

Do you have a million ideas in your head that seem to go nowhere? Are you looking for fresh ideas to solve specific problems? Steven Johnson takes us on an exciting exploration of good ideas and novel innovations. For an idea to be good, he says, it must be built upon accumulated knowledge and be put forward at a time when users can conceive of how to use the idea and when the needed resources for the idea are available. Keep reading to learn how to develop ideas and, ultimately, advance knowledge and society.

How to Keep Employees Engaged: 3 Tips for Team Happiness

Which should you prioritize—employee benefits or perks? What role should internal customers play in hiring? How should you handle breakpoints as your company grows? Tony Fadell shares lessons learned when it comes to creating successful product-based businesses. He provides effective strategies for hiring the right people and keeping them engaged throughout their time with your company. Keep reading to learn how to keep employees engaged.

Making the Most of Your Time: 5 Ways to Maximize Efficiency

When should you delegate tasks? How can you streamline your decision-making process? Who should go on your “adversaries list”? To reach your full potential and accomplish extraordinary things, Matthew Dicks says you must first learn how to make the most of your time. Stop wasting time on unnecessary tasks, accomplish necessary tasks as quickly as possible, and reap the most benefits from the tasks you spend time on. Keep reading to explore Dicks’s five main principles for maximizing efficiency.

Untreated Mental Illness: A Leader’s Recipe for Disaster

How can an untreated mental illness impact a leader’s role? What effect does proper treatment have on your work? In A First-Rate Madness, Nassir Ghaemi argues that the manner in which you treat mental illness can affect leadership abilities. Proper treatment can enhance positive traits while improper treatment can impair crisis decision-making. Learn how crucial mental health treatment is for leaders in important positions.

Education Reform Ideas: Embracing the Latest Science of Learning

When students struggle, what if we took advantage of that difficulty rather than trying to “fix” it? What’s a productive alternative to marking test answers as wrong? In Limitless Mind, math educator Jo Boaler shows that the brain is capable of learning new skills and incorporating new ideas throughout our lives and that struggling to learn and making mistakes are integral parts of cognitive growth. With this in mind, she urges us to rethink education. Keep reading to learn several education reform ideas put forth in Boaler’s book.

What Is the Fourth Turning? Strauss and Howe’s Theory of Crisis

What is the Fourth Turning? Was the Third Reich a Fourth Turning? How do crises transform nations? In The Fourth Turning, historian William Strauss and consultant Neil Howe explain how Anglo-American history follows a pattern of four 15- to 25-year periods, called Turnings. The Fourth Turning, they say, is a Crisis. Continue reading to learn about Strauss and Howe’s theory of the Fourth Turning and their predictions for America’s next one.

Sri Yukteswar Giri: The Prophesied Teacher of Yogananda

Who was Sri Yukteswar Giri? What was his relationship with Paramahansa Yogananda? Sri Yukteswar Giri was a spiritual teacher and mentor to Paramahansa Yogananda, one of the most influential yogis of the 20th century. In Autobiography of a Yogi, Yogananda details the teachings that he received from Yukteswar and how they contributed to his spiritual development. Read on to learn about Sri Yukteswar Giri and how his teachings influenced Paramahansa Yogananda.

Dealing With Chronic Pain: Tips and Techniques

Do you struggle with chronic pain? What are some techniques for managing chronic pain? Chronic pain can significantly affect the quality of your life both physically and psychologically. But there are methods to eliminate or, at least, manage chronic pain to minimize its interference with your life. Here are some tips for dealing with chronic pain from the book Life Force.

Peak States: The 4 Elevated States of Mind Explained

What is a peak state of consciousness? What are the four different altered states that you can achieve? In their book Stealing Fire, Stephen Kotler and Jamie Wheal explore the concept of peak states and place them in a historical context. They claim that altered states of consciousness are subjective experiences that are different from normal consciousness, while peak states occur at the high end of the spectrum. Read on to learn about the four types of peak states, according to Kotler and Wheal.