A dear friend in the UK
gave me this book earlier this year and it proved the perfect
companion as we made our stop-start journey back to New Zealand. If
you're looking for a thought-provoking and utterly engaging book
that will fit in with the inevitable interruptions of a busy
holiday schedule, this could be the one for you.
Indeed, Amazon chose it as its Book of the Week back in May 2010
so it seems other people have really seen some value in it,
too!
Premise
Its premise is this: everyone wants quick and easy improvements
in their lives, their mindset, and their effectiveness at work and
at home. The self-help industry thrives on supplying advice to meet
this need. The trouble is that self-help can range from anecdotal
solutions at best to dangerous urban myths at worst. But what,
Professor Wiseman pondered, if there were:
...tips and techniques hidden away in academic journals that
were empirically supported but quick to carry out?
The answer is that he found them - and surely those relating to
happiness that he found in the extensive positive psychology
literature were not at all hidden away!
Topics
The book covers the following topics that address a wide range
of aspects of personal wellbeing, relationships, and professional
effectiveness:
1. Happiness
2. Persuasion
3. Motivation
4. Creativity
5. Attraction
6. Stress
7. Relationships
8. Decision Making
9. Parenting
10. Personality
Inviting Introductions
Each chapter starts with a tantalising glimpse of its contents.
The quote below is how the title page of the Persuasion chapter
reads - really, it's irresistible!
Why rewards fail, how to give the perfect interview, improve
your social life by making mistakes, never lose your wallet again,
and convince anyone of anything by using your pet frog.
Persuasion 101: add a pet frog
Let me put you out of your misery on the pet frog front, and
give you a flavour for the book in the process.
In a 1981 study based on a series of negotiations for a piece of
art, the seller made the final offer in one of two ways: the first
was a straight price, and the second injected humour, saying
"...and I'll throw in my pet frog." The buyers made far greater
compromises on the purchase price with the second approach. The
effect was the same for men and women, and regardless of how far
the final price was above the intial purchase price offered. It
seems that the shot of humour put the purchasers for a moment into
a better mood and encouraged them to be more giving...
Could be worth trying, and it would take far less than a minute
of your time!
A Quirky Grab Bag
Wiseman wrote an earlier book called Quirkology. I
haven't read it but I can't help noticing the quirky facts he likes
to scatter through his chapters. In fact, each chapter is a series
of snapshots of studies that approach the topic in question from
several angles. Thus in the persuasion chapter we have :
- how to make yourself more likeable in a variety of
settings
- how to word donation requests to get the maximum response
- how to work reciprocity and favours for maximum return on your
'investment'
- where to sit in a meeting to have the best chance of making a
good impression
- how to get help when you're faced with a crowd of people who
all expect "someone else" to come to your aid (overcoming the
Bystander Effect).
Hard Research
Can all the insights reported in this book be traced
back to large scale, randomised, double blind tests? In a word, no.
But each one is sourced to a piece of academic research
and is listed in the almost 30 pages of Notes at the back of the
book. The pet frog insight, for example, is sourced to O'Quin and
Aronoff in Social Psychology Quarterly in a 1981 article called
"Humor as a Technique in Social Influence."
Panacea?
The fact that the interventions and tips in this book are based
on scientific studies does not mean that they will work for
everyone all the time! But at least they can tell you how likely it
is that the technique will work, and that is where Wiseman's
approach departs from the many self help books on offer.
Engrossing & Engaging
This is not a book full of flowing narrative! But for the
curious, it offers a ten course feast of fascinating insights and
case studies drawn from the annals of scientific journals that will
engross and challenge you.
Lastly, you'll find several of the chapters will also engage you
with quizzes and puzzles. The Creativity puzzles kept me busy for
many miles as we travelled to Heathrow. And I would have done the
attraction quizzes, too, but my friend had inked in her responses
and they made the most interesting reading of all...
Needless to say, 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot is
available at Amazon.