If you are curious how people make decisions, then The Influential Mind by Tali Sharot is a must-read book. The subtitle of the book, “what the brain reveals about our power to change others,” sums it up really well.
The author has done extensive research and cites her findings as well as other leading experts. Somehow it never devolves into “professional psycho-babble” talk and comes across as easy to understand and comprehend. I now realize that the author put her findings to work and definitely influenced me to appreciate her insights!
If you are in the story telling business — marketing, communications, preaching, teaching, or other such fields — then this book will teach you a lot about how to influence people. But even if you aren’t in those professions you almost certainly consider yourself a critical thinker, and this book will help you understand how others sway your opinions. We’re all susceptible to being influenced so we should have a clear understanding of how our brain functions.
It’s early in the year, so calling this my favorite book of the year seems premature of course. But I would definitely call it my favorite book of the month!