Robert Greene – The 48 laws of power
A pile of cynical, often conflicting, recommendations presented with Machiavellian panache.
Neuroscience increasingly provides evidence how the Arts influence psychology and social behavior
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross – Your brain on art
Interesting to read how advances in brain science lead to confirmation of intuitive but traditionally hard-to-prove hypotheses.
Protective parenting and the quest for emotional safety hurt the mental resilience of gen Z
Greg Lukianov and Jonathan Haidt – The coddling of the American mind
The writers provide valuable life lessons for individuals, but (unfortunately) do not discuss the broader societal function of protest movements.
Statistical thinking leads to better decisions, but unfortunately most people are bad at that
Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass Sunstein – Noise
Overly simplified presentation of basic statistics that cuts some corners, as superbly pointed out by Andrew Gelman.
It requires a lot of dedication to learn superior memorization skills, but it can be done
Joshua Foer – Moonwalking with Einstein
Endearing blend of journalism and personal experience.
To accurately ‘read people’ look for combinations of non-verbal tells
Joe Navarro – What every body is saying
The glossary of non-verbal signals and their meaning makes you aware of the limitations of Zoom, Teams, and Skype, espacially in COVID times.
The human brain spends an incredible amount of energy on social interactions
Line of argument that primary characteristic of humans as a species is their social behavior dovetails nicely with Daniel Dennett’s thinking on evolution of memes.
The MBTI type indicator helps corporates to contain the impact of individuality in the workplace
Merve Emre-The personality brokers
MBTI is more fascinating than expected, from its amateurish origins and its lack of scientific underpinning to its unlikely longevity and commercial success.
To succeed, do something that you like so much that you are willing to put in the required effort
The book starts as more-or-less scientific research into drivers of success, but ends as motivational self-help literature.
Kevin Ashton – How to fly a horse
Unfortunately, the book contains too many anecdotes that feature Woody Allen.
David Lewis – The Brainsell
More emphasis could have been put on online shopping where more direct measurement possible and implementation is easier.