Looks at the way our minds work, and how we make decisions. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It enables you to make better decisions at work, at home, and in everything you do.
''A dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing book. I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world. A remarkable work by a remarkable writer'' Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them. Neither plant nor animal, they are found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. They can be microscopic, yet also account for the largest organisms ever recorded. They enabled the first life on land, can survive unprotected in space and thrive amidst nuclear radiation. In fact, nearly all life relies in some way on fungi. These endlessly surprising organisms have no brain but can solve problems and manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. Their ability to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the ''Wood Wide Web'', is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented. Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into a spectacular and neglected world, and shows that fungi provide a key to understanding both the planet on which we live, and life itself. ''One of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you. Astounding'' Helen MacDonald, author of H Is for Hawk
For the first time, Alain de Botton gives a name to this universal condition and sets out to investigate both its origins and possible solutions. He looks at history, philosophy, economics, art and politics and reveals the many ingenious ways that great minds have overcome their worries.
The highly anticipated new book from Malcolm Gladwell, No.1 international bestselling author of The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw and David and Goliathbr>br>The routine traffic stop that ends in tragedy. The spy who spends years undetected at the highest levels of the Pentagon. The false conviction of Amanda Knox. Why do we so often get other people wrong? Why is it so hard to detect a lie, read a face or judge a stranger''s motives?br>br>Through a series of encounters and misunderstandings - from history, psychology and infamous legal cases - Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual adventure into the darker side of human nature, where strangers are never simple and misreading them can have disastrous consequences.br>br>No one challenges our shared assumptions like Malcolm Gladwell. Here he uses stories of deceit and fatal errors to cast doubt on our strategies for dealing with the unknown, inviting us to rethink our thinking in these troubled times.>
We stand at the beginning of a new era. What was once science fiction is fast becoming reality, as AI transforms war, crime, justice, jobs and society-and, even, our very sense of what it means to be human. More than any other technology, AI has the potential to revolutionize our collective future - and there's nobody better situated to explore that future than Max Tegmark, an MIT professor and co-founder of the Future of Life Institute, whose work has helped mainstream research on how to keep AI beneficial. In this deeply researched and vitally important new book, Tegmark takes us to the heart of thinking about AI and the human condition, bringing us face to face with the essential questions of our time. What sort of future do we want? Life 3.0 gives us the tools to join what may be the most important conversation of our time.
Written by one of the discoverers of the structure of DNA, a second revised edition of a personal account of the race by the author and Francis Crick to make this breakthrough in biochemistry before Linus Pauling. The achievement of the pair is re-examined in the light of scientific discoveries, before and since their work on the double helix.
This collection of Feynman's best short works includes uproarious tales of Feynman's student experiments, his famous report on the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, his experiences on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos during World War II, and stories of the physicist as a child.
One night the author notices that the few items she's grabbed from the Korean grocery store are the very ingredients for Potage Parmentier, as described in Julia Childs' legendary cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". She begins to cook - every one of the 524 recipes in the book, in the space of just one year. This is her story.
Explains how the author overcame his one-hundred-a-day habit and quit smoking for good. After many failed attempts and a lot of perseverance, he discovered the Easyway and it changed his life. He had a vision of the future in which smoking was something we used to do, and he was sure that Easyway would play a large part in this achievement.
Following the success of "Instant Calm", Paul Wilson has produced a book of advice and inspiration that aims to help readers reach a state of calm. The book features one suggestion per page, so the reader can open the book at any point and find a proven and easy way to achieve calm.
A practical guide to managing your attention--the most powerful resource you have to get stuff done, become more creative, and live a meaningful life Our attention has never been as overwhelmed as it is today. Many of us recognize that our brains struggle to multitask. Despite this, we feel compelled to do so anyway while we fill each moment of our lives to the brim with mindless distraction. Hyperfocus provides profound insights into how you can best take charge of your attention to achieve a greater sense of purpose and productivity throughout the day.
The most recent neuroscientific research reveals that our brain has two powerful modes that can be unlocked when we use our attention effectively: a focused mode (hyperfocus), which is the foundation for being highly productive, and a creative mode (scatterfocus), which enables us to connect ideas in novel ways. Hyperfocus helps you access each of the two mental modes so you can concentrate more deeply, think more clearly, and work and live more deliberately every day. Chris Bailey examines such topics such as:
;;;;identifying and dealing with the four key types of distraction and interruption;
;;;;establishing a clear physical and mental environment in which to work;
;;;;controlling motivation and working fewer hours to become more productive;
;;;;taking time-outs with intention;
;;;;multitasking strategically; and ;;;;learning when to pay attention and when to let your mind wander wherever it wants to.
By transforming how you think about your attention, Hyperfocus reveals that the more effectively you learn to take charge of it, the better you'll be able to manage every aspect of your life.
** FROM THE INTERNATIONAL, NEW YORK TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LITTLE BOOK OF HYGGE ** Meik Wiking understands happiness better than anyone. In his role as Founder and CEO of the world's only Happiness Research Institute, he has travelled the globe interviewing the world's happiest people to discover the key components of happiness. In The Key to Happiness , Meik explores the hidden treasures which can improve your happiness, and divides them into the six building blocks of happiness; togetherness, money, health, kindness, trust and freedom. For each happiness block he offers practical tips: for togetherness he encourages setting up a mini-library in your apartment building or starting a tool-sharing programme in your street; for kindness he suggests leaving a surprise gift on a stranger's doorstep, helping a tourist find their way or telling someone who means a lot to you that they do. Drawing on social science, case studies and Meik's original research, this practical guide shows us that you can find happiness in a simple way of life. While Meik has travelled across the glove to discover the secrets of the world's happiest people, this book shows us that you can be just as happy where you are. This book is the perfect guide on how to survive and navigate the modern world with a smile on your face.
