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The Optimism Bias
Book

The Optimism Bias

A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain

Pantheon Books, 2011 more...


Editorial Rating

8

Recommendation

Neuroscientist Tali Sharot shares a very engaging assortment of studies and observations that will help you understand how your brain perceives and interprets the world around you – in ways that often differ greatly from reality. Her book offers an illuminating look at how your mind works, how you respond to decisions and how you decide. Sharot suggests methods for motivating your staff to perform above expectations by tapping into their brains’ natural optimism. getAbstract recommends her insights into how your brain’s response to information and events can dramatically affect your business, health and relationship decisions.

Take-Aways

  • Your brain is naturally optimistic.
  • Optimism is a critical part of survival; people need to anticipate a positive future.
  • Human beings rarely see the world as it truly is.

About the Author

Dr. Tali Sharot’s research on optimism and the brain has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, Time, New Scientist, Nature, Science and leading scholarly journals, as well as on the BBC.


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    K. F. 9 years ago
    Mildred and Patrick are natural optimist, while Steve needs to read this book and learn how to have more optimism. :)

    I am a natural optimist and I know from experience (not scientific data) how my brain has "sugar-coated" many of my life's difficult experiences to give me a positive outlook on my future. Without this cognitive function, I know I would have been one of those sad, vicitimzed women who seem never to see a better life for themselves...though that life is just a single, positive thought away.

    God has created us with some amazing abilities, including this ability to hope and believe in a wonderful future! Now, you might be thinking that my brain just conjured up a grandios illusion of a Mighty Creator, a Resurrected Savior, and a Holy Spirit working together to save us from the evil one (most notably our negative selves) and deliver us all into a magical, heavenly Kingdom to live happily ever after. Nonetheless, I choose to believe that God created my brain and not the other way around...and am quite happy with my choice! :)
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    M. R. getAbstract 1 decade ago
    Inspirational!
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    S. M. 1 decade ago
    Too superficial. Not even a little data to back anything up.
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      1 decade ago
      This may be true, but still inspiring.