Why do we make irrational decisions, follow the crowd or deceive ourselves? Behavioral science offers answers, and several researchers have written accessible books for general readers. Here are some of the most influential.
Decisions and biases
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. The Nobel Prize-winning psychologist explains two modes of thinking, fast intuition and slow deliberation, and the biases that result. Long but foundational.
- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Experiments on how people make systematically odd choices about money, value and honesty. Note that some research associated with the author has been questioned, so read it alongside other sources.
- Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. How small changes in how choices are presented influence behavior, and how governments and companies use this.
Influence and social behavior
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini. Principles such as reciprocity, social proof and scarcity, and how to spot them in sales and advertising.
- The Elephant in the Brain by Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson. Argues that many of our behaviors have hidden motives we prefer not to admit.
Human nature
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. On the role of evolution and genetics in human nature, and why the topic is controversial.
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Why good people disagree about politics and religion, based on moral psychology.
- Behave by Robert Sapolsky. Explains a single behavior by going back seconds, hours, years and millennia: from neurons to culture.
Habits and change
Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg translate research on habits into practical advice.
A word of caution
Psychology has gone through a “replication crisis”: some famous findings have not held up when researchers repeated the experiments. Good popular science books are clear about uncertainty; treat dramatic claims carefully and prefer authors who cite their sources.
For the philosophy behind these questions, see books on philosophy and worldviews. Books that build understanding of others through stories are listed in books for empathy.
