The World's Best Book Summaries
What is the lizard brain myth? Why have scientists debunked this myth? There’s a neuroscience myth that claims a small part of the brain functions entirely on instinct, like a lizard’s. However, Lisa Feldman Barrett’s book Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain debunks this theory, saying our brains are different than other animals’ brains. Continue reading to learn why the lizard brain myth isn’t true.
What is “uplift suasion”? What is the problem with trying to challenge racism by way of persuasion? Uplift suasion is a way of addressing racism that is premised on disproving the stereotypes associated with Black people. Although uplift suasion is meant to combat racism, it does precisely the opposite: it perpetuates racist ideas by imposing the white standard. Here’s why the logic behind uplift suasion is inherently racist, according to Ibram X. Kendi.
What are the opinions of Stoicism on anger? Why is anger the most destructive emotion? How can you manage your anger better? On anger, Stoicism claims it is the single most destructive emotion to happiness. According to author Derren Brown, whose book Happy explored the ancient Greek philosophy of obtaining true happiness, anger is one of the three major obstacles to living a well-balanced and fulfilling life. Read on to learn how Stoicism explains anger and strategies to defuse it, according to Brown’s book.
What are self-regulation skills? Why are these skills important in life? Self-regulation is the ability to manage and understand your emotions so you react to things in a better way. The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest explains how self-regulation skills come a long way when it comes to overcoming self-sabotaging behavior. Continue reading to learn why you need self-regulation skills in life.
What are attractive qualities in a person? Why do people who want friends look for these qualities? Just like with romantic relationships, people are attracted to certain qualities they look for in friends. Jack Schafer and Marvin Karlins’s book The Like Switch provide a list of qualities you can inherit that people will find attractive. To get a better sense of these attractive qualities in a person, keep reading.
What are the best ways to plan for reducing errors in the workplace? What do experts recommend? The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick P. Brooks offers guidance to managers leading large teams, especially teams coordinating detail-oriented projects with lots of moving parts. In the book, Brooks explains how to manage the inevitable errors that arise from managing teams performing complex tasks. Keep reading to learn Brooks’s three rules for reducing errors in the workplace.
Have you seen the 2011 film Moneyball? How does the film differ from the book it’s based on? In 2003, Michael Lewis released Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, which is the story of the 2002 Oakland Athletics and their general manager, Billy Beane. An Academy Award-nominated film adaptation of the book was released in 2011, starring Brad Pitt as Beane and Jonah Hill as his assistant general manager. Let’s look at the differences between Moneyball by Lewis and the film adaptation of the same name.
In the debate regarding job role vs. job description, where do the most visionary companies come down? What difference does it make to an organization’s flexibility and overall performance? In Reinventing Organizations, Frédéric Laloux identifies an emerging breed of company that operates from a new set of rules. One new rule they’ve adopted is exchanging job descriptions for job roles. This change serves both the employee and the organization. Continue reading to understand Laloux’s findings about job roles.
How does the human brain work? What is the brain’s most important job? The brain’s most important job is allostasis, which manages the body’s energy budget. According to Lisa Feldman Barrett in her book Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, all other brain functions are secondary. Keep reading to learn how the human brain works.
What is the importance of collaboration? How do our brains support socialization? The brain requires input from our environments to properly develop. Long after it’s done developing, however, the brain continues to solicit information from other brains to perform daily tasks. Learn why collaboration is important for the development of human brains, below.