Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, renowned organizational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, reveal the hidden psychological forces that drive irrational behavior.

Why are we more susceptible to falling in love when we feel we are in danger? How was a Harvard Business School professor able to convince a student to pay 208 dollars for a twenty-dollar bill? What caused the head of safety at KLM Airlines to disregard his training and the rules of aviation, leading to the deadliest airline crash in history? In SWAY, renowned organizational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, explain what these phenomena have in common by revealing the hidden psychological forces that drive irrational behavior. Drawing on the latest research from social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, the Brafmans reveal the ongoing dynamic forces that affect nearly every aspect of our personal and business lives, including: - Loss aversion: our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses - The diagnosis bias: our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation - Commitment: our reluctance to change the course of a plan or decision, even when it's not working A lively and thought-provoking narrative in the bestselling tradition of Blink, SWAY shows how these and other psychological undercurrents distort logical thought, and reveals how readers can avoid falling victim to them.

Publisher:

Broadway Business

ISBN:

9780385524384

Publication date:

June 2008

Length:

217mm

Width:

153mm

Thickness:

22mm

Weight:

345g

Pages:

206

Praise for SWAY*
A breathtaking book that will challenge your every thought, Sway hovers above the intersection of Blink and Freakonomics, --Tom Rath, coauthor of the New York Times #1 bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket?
Now we know why no one ever coined the phrase 'rational exuberance.' Behind the surprising ways we all make choices, the Brafmans find biology, humanity, and the wisdom of our collective experience. As a longtime student of how financial decisions are made, I found their insights utterly fascinating. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop--and I suspect the Brafmans could tell you exactly why!
--Sallie Krawcheck, CEO, Citi Global Wealth Management
Count me swayed--but in this instance by the pull of entirely rational forces. Ori and Rom Brafman have done a terrific job of illuminating deep-seated tendencies that skew our behavior in ways that can range from silly to deadly. We'd be fools not to learn what they have to teach us. --Robert B. Cialdini, author of New York Times bestseller Influence
Brilliant.
--Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum
A page-turner of an investigation into how our minds work . . . and trick us. Think you behave rationally? Read this book first. --Timothy Ferriss, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek
Sway helped me recognize an aspect of irrational behavior in my experimental work in physics. Sometimes I have jumped into some research that didn't feel quite right . . . but some irrational lure, such as the hope of quick success, pulled me in. --Martin L. Perl, 1995 Nobel Laureate in Physics
*DISCLAIMER: If you decide to buy this bookbecause of these endorsements, you just got swayed. One of the psychological forces you'll read about in Sway is our tendency to place a higher value on opinions from people in positions of prominence, power, or authority.
(But you should still buy the book.)

If you think you know how you think, you'd better think again! Take this insightful, delightful trip to the sweet spot where economics, psychology, and sociology converge, and you'll discover how our all-too-human minds actually work. --Alan M. Webber, founding editor of Fast Company magazine