The World's Best Book Summaries
Do you feel like a terrible person because of a mistake you made? How can you deal with shame in a healthy way? A common reaction people have when they’ve done something wrong is to feel shame. It’s a completely normal emotion to feel in these types of situations, but it can have detrimental effects on your mental health. Luckily, there are ways to overcome shame. Continue reading to learn how to deal with shame and accept your mistakes.
What is Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir’s Scarcity about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In their book Scarcity, behavioral science researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain how scarcities of time and money temporarily change our brains: They make us more efficient with a limited resource in the short term, but they also decrease our mental bandwidth, distorting the way we process information and make decisions. Below is a brief overview of Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir.
Are you trapped by religious dogma? Do you think more in terms of “I” than “we”? How often do you do things just for fun? Philosopher Alan Watts argues that the ego illusion—the false sense of being an individual separate from everyone and everything else—causes destruction and hardship in Western society. He provides recommendations for how people can escape from the ego illusion and achieve cosmic unity. Continue reading to learn how to become one with the universe, according to Watts.
What is Scott Barry Kaufman’s new hierarchy of needs? How has Maslow’s theory of needs changed over the years? In Transcend, Scott Barry Kaufman offers a new hierarchy of needs, updating Abraham Maslow’s ideas about what people need to reach their full potential. He argues that Maslow’s “pyramid” is misunderstood, and his updated view is more in line with modern science and Maslow’s full body of work. Read on to learn about Kaufman’s new hierarchy of needs, according to his book Transcend.
Why should you observe your emotions in a stressful situation? How do you detach from your emotions? In Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton, you learn that one of the key ways to respond to a stressful event is to observe your emotions. That way, you’re less likely to fret about the event and how it’ll affect you in the future. Check out how to detach from your emotions so you can cope with stress.
How do you handle stress? Do you stick to your principles when the going gets tough? What effect do stories have on you? The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien tells the stories of a small company of American soldiers serving in the Vietnam War. Through the narrative, the book blurs the line between autobiography and fiction, leaving the reader unsure as to what is fact and what is myth. Continue reading to see several The Things They Carried questions that you can use to get more out of your reading.
How does the language people use reflect and impact the way they see themselves? Is there an inherent flaw in Western science? According to Alan Watts, the ego is the culprit behind the ills of Western society. In The Book, he argues that Western society perpetuates “the ego illusion” through the language people use, the expectations they place on each other, and even the way they approach science. Continue reading to understand Watts’s argument regarding ego in the West.
Looking for some positive affirmations to keep going? Which affirmations should you use when you feel like quitting on your goals? According to Gary John Bishop’s book Unfu*k Yourself, you can achieve great things if you develop the resilience to stick with your goals when you feel like quitting. In his book, he provides positive affirmations to keep going and embrace uncertainty as you pursue your dreams. Read on to discover Bishop’s affirmations to help you reshape your thoughts and keep going towards your goals.
What does it take to have a resilient mindset? How does resilience conquer overthinking? In Stop Overthinking, Nick Trenton explains that, in many cases, an overthinking habit is perpetuated by negative thought patterns. To combat these patterns, you need to identify these habits, challenge them, and replace them with positive thoughts. Let’s look at how you can create a resilient mindset that will protect you from negativity.
How does a lack of money affect economic decision-making? Why are poor people more rational decision-makers? According to behavioral science researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, financial scarcity forces people to become experts at making a dollar stretch further. As a result, poor people tend to make more rational economic decisions. Here’s how a lack of money affects economic decision-making.