The World's Best Book Summaries
What is a stress-related illness? Can stress really make a person physically sick? Although science treats the mind and the body as separate entities, there’s a strong connection between stress and illness. Dr. Gabor Maté discusses this connection in his book When the Body Says No, explaining the links between peoples’ life histories, psychological profiles, and specific diseases. Here’s a look at some of the stress-related illnesses.
What are the two branches of government discussed in Rousseau’s The Social Contract? What are their different roles? In The Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau explains that a government is needed to run the day-to-day operations of a state. He divides government into two branches: legislative and executive. Here’s his discussion of the difference between the legislative and executive branches of government.
What is mastery? What roles do experience, intuition, and practice play when it comes to mastering a discipline? Robert Greene describes mastery as creative power and excellence that shows you’ve fully grasped your discipline. It involves technical proficiency and social know-how. He believes that you achieve mastery when you bring those skills together with reason, intuition, and experience. Here’s Greene’s take on what mastery means.
What is The Lucifer Effect about? What are the main takeaways from Philip Zimbardo’s book? The Lucifer Effect was written by Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist famous for running the notorious 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment. In it, Zimbardo argues that most of us drastically misunderstand evil’s potential. Here’s a brief overview of Philip Zimbardo’s book The Lucifer Effect.
Why is Toyota successful? What is Toyota’s approach to business? Toyota is one of the biggest and most successful car manufacturers in the world. It’s successful because it values all of its employees, is cautious of new technology, and has a long-term plan. Learn more about why Toyota is successful, according to Jeffrey Liker in The Toyota Way.
What are the most common potty training problems? How can you help your child overcome resistance to potty training? In her book Oh Crap! Potty Training, parenting coach and social worker Jamie Glowacki goes over the four most common potty training problems. Those problems include poop difficulties, night training, resistance, and restarting. Below, we’ll go over the four potty training problems and how to overcome them, according to Glowacki.
Are you struggling to make sales for your business? Why is demonstrating a product beneficial? The customer needs to feel like they need your product before they will buy it. In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Zig Ziglar says that a demonstration can encourage customers to buy your product. Here’s how to demonstrate a product to encourage sales.
What is reciprocal altruism? Why do people feel compelled to reciprocate virtuous behavior? Humans are innately reciprocal creatures because reciprocity has survival value. Even hunter-gatherer humans helped each other to contribute to the survival of the group. According to Robert Sapolsky, the author of Behave, altruism is encoded in our genes. Keep reading to learn about reciprocal altruism and how this behavior evolved.
Are you in charge of hiring new employees at work? How do you know you’re hiring the right person for the job? In their book Execution, business leaders Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan provide three steps for choosing the right employee. They also explain how to retain your employees after hiring them by supporting their development. Keep reading to learn how to choose and retain good employees.
Do you want to know how to become a successful trader? What do all profitable traders have in common? Trading is extremely hard, which is why only a few traders become profitable. According to Mark Douglas, the author of Trading in the Zone, you need three ingredients to become a successful trader: 1) a clear goal, focused exclusively on winning consistently, 2) a system of rules and boundaries for making trades, and 3) disciplined follow-through. Let’s explore each ingredient in detail.