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I'll Have What She's Having
Book

I'll Have What She's Having

Mapping Social Behavior

Alex Bentley, Mark Earls and Michael J. O'Brien
MIT Press, 2011

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

The title of this study of social behavior comes from the Katz Deli scene in the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. One woman observes another appearing to have an orgasm at a nearby table and tells the waiter: “I’ll have what she’s having.” The title serves as useful shorthand for the human practices of imitation, replication and diffusion of ideas. Academics Alex Bentley and Michael J. O’Brien and consultant Mark Earls offer lucid prose and easy-to-follow examples in their fine introduction to social behavior. getAbstract recommends their insights to those interested in greater self-knowledge, social change, or marketing and innovation.

Take-Aways

  • Science and economics assume that people are rational. They aren’t – at least not always; many social influences affect people’s behaviors.
  • The human mind is unique in its ability to sort and order complex information.
  • Models that explain individual behavior don’t explain the actions of a global society.

About the Authors

Alex Bentley is a professor of archeology and anthropology at the University of Bristol. Mark Earls consults on marketing and communications. Michael J. O’Brien is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri.

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