In, 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot, Richard Wiseman becomes England’s version of Malcolm Gladwell in somewhat of an abbreviated format. When challenged by a friend to come up with self help concepts that could be digested and/or applied in a minute he accepted and “:59 Seconds” is the outcome.
Although 329 pages long the book is well formatted, very easy to read and blows away mind myths that have plagued or confused us for decades…centuries…forever. Concise and clear, the book is not easy to put down.
And the book is not thin on substance. Referencing 1000’s of academic studies from many different internationally recognized educational institutions, Richard convincingly corrects culturally fixed but errant ideas regarding ten very important human issues:
- Happiness – how to be so and how it helps.
- Persuasion – why rewards don’t necessarily help and big words don’t work.
- Motivation – why and when positive thinking fails.
- Creativity – why brainstorming is a myth.
- Attraction – why good looks, high pay, a big bank balance and lavish living might make you less desirable.
- Stress – why venting doesn’t help and canines do.
- Relationships – why eye contact is better than active listening.
- Decision Making – why two heads are not better than one.
- Parenting – why praise can be either right or wrong, good or bad.
- Personality – why it is best measured by anatomy rather than graphology.
The book is full of well-researched, clearly illustrated brief hits for self improvement which are easy to grasp and apply. In fact, there are personal exercises sprinkled throughout the book to help jump start the needed changes.
The book is nicely seasoned with humor and his points, though academically substantiated, are never dry and boring. After reading, most of your time will be spent applying and enjoying the benefits of new ways to deal with old problems.
Quote from the book: “Richard Wiseman is Britain’s only professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology and has an international reputation for his research into unusual areas, including deception, luck, humor and the paranormal. He is frequently quoted by the media and his research has been featured on over 150 television programmes across the world.”
Richard is also the author of Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things.
Get “:59 Seconds” inexpensively at Amazon.
THINK!AboutIt
