All of us have either watched someone or fallen into a death spiral ourselves with circumstances in life. The annecdotal evidence around us clearly shows we/they have made a poor choice and the final outcome is destined to have negative results. Yet, we continue our/their actions desperately committed to our beliefs. Blind to all of the indicators that a different path is needed for the desired outcome. Upon conclusion, in retrospect, we know we should have done something differently.

"Sway" is insightful and interesting. The author reveals how our beliefs and precognitive commitments "sway" our clarity. The examples are easy to identify with and have value if learning why we sometimes just can't slow down doing the wrong things.

"Sway" will cause you to pause and reflect on those times when you just couldn't let go of the wrong choice. Whether it was in your personal or professional life, there are solid examples that most prople can easily relate too.

This is an easy and entertaining read and I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to better their understanding of why we do things that simply do not make sense.

Comments are always welcome.

I was happily reading this book when it became apparent that the authors felt free to wander down an anti-war path, and blithely compared LBJ's war in Vietnam to Bush's war in Iraq.

What is going on nowadays? Are all book-buyers so liberal that they take this political propaganda for granted?

After all, if the authors really wanted to look at American politics, they might just have mentioned the Community Reinvestment Act (1977), passed while James Earl Carter was in the White House, and reinforced during the Clinton years.

This act, and all its dozens of amendments, basically ordered banks to extend mortgage loans to ALL, regardless of income.

In the terms of the book under review, the people who did this were suffering from "diagnosis bias" (the poor are undeservedly so) and "commitment bias" (we have always helped the poor, so now we are ordering the banks to do the same).

For decades, steadily rising housing prices disguised the mischief government had done, meddling in free markets once again. But the support for the CRA was largely "bi-partisan," although only one lonely banker turned up to testify in favor of the CRA.

Now we find ourselves in a sea of defaults, and who are the fingers being pointed at? Why, the evil bankers, of course. And, naturally, George Bush. Nobody even dares to mention the CRA, because "everyone" was in favor of it.

Now, indeed, the chickens are coming home to roost.

But these facts are not recorded in this book.

This is an interesting, quick, thought-provoking read. The authors highlight the forces and situations that lead us to make really bad decisions -- our failure to realize that sunk costs are sunk costs, our tendency to irrationally cling to our bad decisions, once made, in hopes that things will take a 180 degree turn. The authors show how we are disproportionately influenced by anecdotal evidence rather than looking at aggregate, statistical data. One example can be more influential than a thousand data points.

Particularly interesting to me were the discussions of cultural influences on decision-making. In the US version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, for example, the audience poll yields the correct answer 90% of the time. French and Russian audiences aren't so magnaminous. Russian audiences are not likely to give the correct answer -- perhaps out of a skepticism for wealth -- and French audiences enforce a sense of meritocracy -- they will not give the correct answer to an easy/obvious question -- though they may be more willing to help out on a challenging question. French audiences won't reward poor players -- if the player is too stupid to know the anwer to an easy question, he doesn't deserve to be a millionaire.

Another interesting example of cultural influences on decision-making were illustrated by requiring participants to divide a certain amount of money fairly between themselves and another person -- if the other person accepted the division, both the giver and the receiver would keep the money. If not, both went home empty-handed. American paricipants were most inclined to split the money 50/50; the giver frequently refused to accepted a disproportionately smaller split. In other cultures, however, participants would split the booty 90/10, and the recipient gladly accepted the 10%, as it was more than he had before. What is fair and seemingly rational in one culture isn't always fair and seemingly rational in another. What exactly is a rational decision?

This book presents a compelling argument for ensuring that there's at least one devil's advocate, skeptic, naysayer, dissenter in your circle of trusted advisors and it underscores the importance of having dissenters in the workplace. Really bad things can result when decisions are not vetted by dissenters, when organizations are staffed exclusively by yes-men, when we are so intent on staying the course that we don't see the collision directly in front of us.

We all make mistakes. Some minor, others, life-changing. Obtaining all the knowledge we can about this field will enhance our time on earth. Based on great stories and solid research, this fun book takes a meandering stroll down the beaches of behavioral and social science. Along the way, we find pearls of wisdom.

In light of the lessons I learned in this book, I will now have to go back and re-read Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinkingby Malcolm Gladwell whose lessons I have been applying at work and home. This book - in a way - is the opposite of Blink whereby our intuition does not rush in to save the day.

I applaud the lack of digressions and tangents. Too often, this type of book leaves the subject matter to discuss an area the reader has not interest in. My only negative critique is that this is really more of a subject for a magazine or journal article rather than a full-blown book length treatment. Still, I really enjoyed the book and hope you find this review helpful.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR - Author of Wingtips with Spurs

SWAY has been described as a fun, quick read; a book based on the authors' argument that irrational behavior is fueled by loss aversion, diagnosis bias, and the "chameleon effect." Although somewhat entertaining, I wondered about other factors that also influence irrational behavior.

As an example, when the so-called "most experienced and accomplished pilot in the world" irrationally lifts off without takeoff clearance, Neil Weinstein's research regarding "optimistic bias" came to mind (the tendency to view oneself as less likely that others to experience negative life events).

Examples of optimistic bias include professional financial analysts consistently overestimating corporate earnings; smokers believing they are at less risk of developing smoking-related diseases than others who smoke, and let's not forget the research about college students rating themselves as much less likely than their peers to experience negative life events such as developing a drinking problem, having a heart attack, being fired from a job, or divorcing a few years after getting married. Based on the age-old concept of optimistic bias, I'm wondering if the celebrated pilot wasn't also in "full-on optimistic bias mode" ("'I' can make this happen!!"), when he made the decision to go forward?

In terms of "first-date interviewing," readers may rather prefer Marcus Buckingham's approach to interviewing explained in his book entitled "The One Thing You Need to Know." Buckingham shares practical and user-friendly strategies for fleshing out the so-called strengths and weaknesses offered up by potential employees.

The scant material in Sway might have been better condensed into a juicy article, but as a book, I wanted it to be better organized and better validated. People still talk about The Tipping Point and Blink by Gladwell, but will Sway stay the test of time? May I say: no sway?

If you like to say "Wow", "Cool", "Check that out", "Way cool", "Silly humans" when you read, then get Sway.

The story the Brafman Brothers tell shall bring these words from you.

Well-written, the Brafmans thoughts flow from one chapter into the next. The page count and tight writing reveals high intellects in Ori and Rom.

You can read through this book in one sitting.

I consider myself a super savvy chick. Someone who is shrewd and together.
But sometimes my own conduct makes me go, 'what the heck was I thinking ?'
I belong to Mashable.com's book club and received Sway last month.
Its a quick amusing and eye opening read. And it had such an impact that I reference it quite a lot lately.
It made me see in several key places where my decision making was faulty and leading me down paths to folly and failure.
Few books can change your worldview. This certainly has.

I truly enjoyed Ori Brafman's last book The Starfish and the Spider so I was excited to read his latest work. This book didn't disappoint.

Given what I do for a living I am always fascinated with what makes people tick. SWAY is an engaging book that helps the reader understand the incredibly powerful undercurrent that influences our thinking and ultimately how we may make (good and bad) decisions.

The book is packed full of excellent stories which compliment and enhance the fundamental ideas presented in each chapter. I found the entire book to be thought provoking and extremely interesting.

A great read that I would recommend to everyone.

Illogical behavior is the norm, we all do it and we are all susceptible to it. In 'Sway' Ori Brafman walks through a collection of studies which single out and attempt to explain the reasoning behind our irrational behaviors: social pressure (value of dissent), chameleon effect (golden halo), swamp of commitment, first-impression bias, and a few others. Not surprisingly, many other authors have already extensively explored most of these behaviors - there is little new research in the book. 'Sway' can serve as a great intro to the subject, but if you've already invested time into similar books, you can probably safely forgo this one.

I really enjoyed this book. I borrowed it from by Boss and read it in about three days. You will never think about statistics and human behavior the same way again. I would especially recommend this book for those of us who deal with human behavior for a living. There are a lot of good antidotes in it which really help examine why human beings act in the irrational ways they do. Their writing style is excellent and it drags the reader through the book rather than a simple forced march to get to the end; it is a page turner. I actually found myself wanting to make it home so I could read more!

While not a grammarian, I became so frustrated with the grammar mistakes that I almost gave up. This book is by no measure scholarly, and in fact it is comprised of poorly written summaries of research conducted by others, and for which credit is given in the notes section. An interested reader would find the original research better and more informative. The title is catchy, but this is not "Blink." This is an interesting subject; if the authors had the skill of Leonard Mlodinow ("The Drunkard's Walk")this could have been a worthwhile book. They don't, and it isn't - save your time and money.

Fans of social psychology or economics books like Freakonomics, Blink, and The Tipping Point will love this book. It is for anyone who wants to understand why people (singularly or en masse) make choices that don't seem to make any sense, and what guides that decision-making process. Those choices are influenced by things none of us have ever thought about. Even though it's not really a business book, I highly recommend it for marketers or other business people who are trying to understand their customers. It's also a good read for anyone who wants to understand his own decision making process in order to make better choices about things like what you buy, what you eat, and how you treat others.

Sway is a very quick read. The brothers Brafman tell a story that is very reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. This is another way of looking at what irrational beings we humans are, and how hard we try to prove that we aren't.

Like Blink, the book provides some interesting food for thought, and great cocktail party filler, but it doesn't give solid, useful things that one can do to take advantage of this new knowledge.

If you love pop-economics and pop-psychology books like "The Long Tail", "Tipping Point", "Freakonomics" etc... you'll definitely love this. Although it's not as groundbreaking as these books, it's equally (if not more) entertaining. Packed full of case studies, this is a fun and quick read. Highly recommended!

Book explores the many ways we logically arrive at illogical decisions. I found it entertaining and thought provoking. Makes for a great conversation topic with friends.

The author analysis of irrational behavior could have been discussed in twenty or so pages. Not much of a book, but thankfully it was only 200 small pages.

This is yet a another volume in the contemporary genre of books based on a single insight. In this case, the insight is that people often make predictably irrational decisions. This is interesting, and the authors assemble several anecdotes supporting their thesis, but a bit of judicious editing could have distilled their argument into a brief essay. Of course this would have been a less profitable format; one suspects the authors of exploiting an irrational bias favoring books over articles.

Most people believe that their thoughts are completely rational without any sort of outside influence. "I am my own person and my thoughts are my own," most people would contend. However, after reading Sway, I see just how much tunnel vision people can have, including me. This tunnel vision can lead to a bad day, missed opportunities, or even the loss of life.

Thinking objectively seems easy and natural as we base our decisions on what we have learned over time. This, for obvious reasons, is a good thing. However, it can be detrimental if we are not adept enough to see the presented information through an unbiased lens in conjunction with our experiences. Not considering all facets of a situation in a way that is absent of useless, outside noise can stifle our personal growth as we hold to past beliefs that, from the current information, may not be true. After all, the earth is round.

As a counselor, I pride myself on being able to see things as they really are, and in cases of working with people, I can do this fairly well. However, Brafman and Brafman, helped me see my own shortcomings with certain decision making tactics and for this, I am thankful.

What I learned most from this book is the concept of Loss-Aversion. I have fallen prey to this often when rushing to be on time for an appointment. While I may have saved a few minutes, I have also sacrificed piece of mind and tolerable blood pressure for punctuality. I have sacrificed top-notch performance at meetings with colleagues, and all but ruined dates with my wife just because the clock said I was a little behind. I am its slave no more.

Sway is simplistically written which makes for an easy and enjoyable read for anyone wanting a little life-altering self-improvement. However, in its simplicity Sway gives the reader tools that can help in situations ranging from conquering negative group dynamics in a Fortune 500 company to determining if that painting in the thrift store is really worth its asking price.

Too many people don't see the invisible forces that influence their decisions. Experts, politicians, and even Sunday school groups all push our conclusions in directions that may or may not be accurate. In our quest for justice, equality, and truth, we must be willing to challenge the status quo, even if this means challenging authority figures, family members, and our own perception of the world around us.

Many have come to adopt a definition of insanity that is supposed to represent the alcoholic's "stinking thinking" or warped state of mind. They will say that "insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the result to be different." I disagree, and I have written widely on my point.God and Alcoholism: Our Growing Opportunity in the 21st Century; By the Power of God: A Guide To Early A.A. Groups and Forming Similar Groups Today ; Why Early A.A. Succeeded: The Good Book in Alcoholics Anonymous Yesterday and Today. My view of the alcoholic's supposed "insanity" is that he does the same thing over and over and KNOWS the result will be the same. That's the irrational behavior. What are the forces that cause the alcoholic-involuntarily perhaps-to pursue dangerous behavior over and over again, get a brief reprieve, and then turn around again to do the same thing and get the same result. There's no expectation of a difference, but rather a knowledge of an inevitable disaster while ignoring the consequences. That's nuts. Now why bring it up here? The reason is that I fault any discussion of irrational behavior, and the sway and pull, if it overlooks some important factors in the alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, and gambling scene. People know the consequences, but they repeat the behavior again and again. Early AAs favored the Book of James in the Bible. And the first chapter of James describes the problem of TEMPTATION and its inevitable consequence if one yields to it.The James Club and the Original A.A. Program's Absolute Essentials. A person knows he'll get drunk if he always gets drunk and gets in trouble. Despite the known disaster, he drinks or smokes, or shoots up or gambles, yet reaps the same vomit and mire. That's irrational. But it ignores the other thing that the Book of James talks about--the solution. James 4:7 says: Submit yourselves therefore to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The scientist doesn't necessarily like to here Bible talk. But the early AAs did. They relied on God to help them and guide them and strengthen them against temptation. Then they tried to obey God and grow in the relationship with Him. And their last rule was to give love and service to someone still suffering.When Early AAs Were Cured and Why, Third Edition It was a program of will-power coupled with humble submission to the Creator for the power, strength, and direction to exercise the will-power sanely and successfully. In short, I'd always welcome a product that emphasized the role of the Adversary and the potential from the Creator and the Adversary in the problem of irrational behavior. Spiritual tools for a spiritual problem.The Golden Text of A.A.: God, the Pioneers, and Real Spirituality.)

Wow! What a fabulous,timely, and perhaps overdue book. I was particularly impressed by their discussions of altruism versus addiction, and their ability to tie it to modern day screw-ups. Absolute Must-read for 2008. I am looking forward to their next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A friend recommended this book to me and I enjoyed it so much that I bought 3 copies for friends. The book will definitely get you thinking about how irrational we can be! With some of the examples, I saw myself and in others I saw people I know. It made me think but also made me laugh. There are other moments that even though a behavior may be irrational, it is a choice I would still make. Irrational is not always a bad thing! Other times, such as the job interview questions, it's important to question why we ask what we ask and what is it we really want to know.

There were moments that were, in a sense, disturbing as when a person will agree with everyone in a room simply because s/he does not want to be different.

A lot to think about and an easy read. I do recommend this book.

a lot of the research they cite will be well known to the studious reader, but still, a worthwhile addition, and an easy pleasant read

The latest book on why people sometimes behave illogically is "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior," by the Brafman brothers. Ori has a PhD in psychology and Rom is a graduate of the Stanford Business School. They tell engrossing stories, each of which illuminates a principle of human behavior, and pose such intriguing questions as: Why would an experienced pilot who values the safety of his passengers take unnecessary risks? Why did the Challenger Space Shuttle go up even after "engineers from the company that build the O-ring recommended that the launch be delayed"? Why would a group of emergency room doctors fail to treat an obviously sick two-year-old girl? Why are most job interviews a complete waste of time and energy?

The answers will surprise you, but the basic theme is that we tend to be unduly influenced by other people and by our own preconceived notions. Instead of using our intellects to objectively analyze each situation on its merits, "we often ignore all evidence that contradicts what we want to believe." The authors' premise has widespread implications for every aspect of our lives: government, the economy, education, and of course, our professional and personal relationships.

"Sway" is clearly written, entertaining, and enlightening. The authors illustrate their ideas using a variety of eye-opening examples from medicine, sports, finance, archaeology, and even the world of game shows. If you take the Brafmans' message to heart, you may decide to think before you act, instead of being swayed to do things that will make you feel sorry later.

Ori, the author contacted me about reading his book. He was the author of "The Starfish and the Spider" which was a superb read. It was a blessing because I had planned on purchasing this book anyway to read. Sway is a masterful book about the influencing aspects of irrational behavior. The book is an enjoyable read as he weaves together interesting stories to narratively make his points. The book is dealing with mostly economic theory and human personality, but I found it highly relevant to the church culture. It is amazing the parallels within the church. The book dealt with loss aversion and the influence of commitment. You see these dynamics in congregations all the time. The book is great as it will "sway" you to see the world in a whole new light. It will also help you to make sense of some of the practices that take place in congregations. Thank you Ori and Rom for another insightful work.

I have just received my book, but I was deeply disappointed with Amazon for sending me something I just can call a "second hand draft" of the book I ordered months ago... Although the theme is interesting and the book really has hardcover, pages inside are covered with ink stains and borders of the pages are irregularly "teared" (I could not even call it cutted). It was so not worthwhile paying in advance and waiting so much time to receive this kind of thing.

The book ends at page 160 or so. The pages aren't exactly dense. There are a few interesting study results mentioned here, but I'm sure Readers' Digest will cover the same subject in 20 pages or less, and do a better job.

It would have been nice if the authors took the time to define simple terms, like "irrational" and "rational". This isn't really a book, it's half a book, with all the hard-to-write bits skipped over.

It's an amazing book! Ori and his brother take another Tipping Point slash Freakonomics approach to this book which is very successful and very good at communicating complicated concepts. By using stories I'm able to quickly grasp the idea, and then I have a vivid application of the concept that I can turn around and use to share with others. This is the kind of book you read today and talk about with everyone you run into for the next three weeks.

The main point of the book is that we are often drawn to doing dumb (irrational) things and making decisions that make no sense... but in reality, they do. Go read the book and you'll realize, yes, this is what is going on all the time. It helps explain so many behavioral (and economical) decisions that, hopefully, the understanding of 'sway' can help you make better choices (about yourself, your products, your approaches, etc.).

The Brothers Brafman take us on a short and interesting tour of why we do what we do. The better parts: not only do we see what we expect to see but this "expectation" bias changes the way those seen act(three groups in the miltary are sent to training; randomly assigned rankings from excellent to so so; their commanders are told which is which but not that it is random; and guess what---not only to the commanders rate the ones assigned a random excellent as better but the soldiers ,when later tested, aligned with their commander's pre-planted views; they conformed their performance to how the commanders perceived them); altruism is a more powerful motivator to induce a person to perform a task than money if the money offered is not commensurate with the task(swiss citizens were ok with a nuclear dump in their town when the appeal was to citizenship but became much less so when the appeal was we will pay you to do it because the moola was not enough; it does not take much to fuel the altruism part of the brain but it takes a lot to fuel the pleasure part of the brain); and once tagged, always tagged( the draft position of NBA players dictacted playing time and length of time in league---the lower the draft pick number, the more of each). Good epilogue with some practical ideas. Also some good stuff on hiring employees. Bottom Line: know these ideas and make them work for you.

The Brafmans do an excellent job showcasing the irrational behavior all around us. Whether you're a doctor, venture capitalist, teacher, or even a college football coach, there are subtle psychological cues driving you to engage in irrational behaviors that can have a significant negative impact on your life. Reading the anecdotes, one might wonder 'how can anyone ever do that?' The book's close inspection of many different situations shows us that we all do it, and in fact, most of us are guilty of irrationality every single day. 'Sway' lifts the mystery behind these subtleties of irrational thinking and allows us to be more critical of ourselves so we can understand really what is driving the decisions we make day in and day out.

Overall, 'Sway' is a great read. It's very well-written, fast-moving, inherently entertaining, insightful, and just downright fun. It will leave you in a healthy state of self-reflection and critical thinking of the world around you.

Each chapter of SWAY is a complete thought and a fast read. I could identify myself or others in each one. I do a lot of work with large groups and have found that each group has all the architypes in it... the exemplar who knows too much; the over committed, the labeler; the doubter and dream killers; the visionaries and the engineers. Each of the characters in this book are in any group. I will return to SWAY each time I do another large group event to remind myself to be aware of how the decisions of the group might be getting trapped by some of the habits and assumption mentioned in the book. My work will be better for having read this book.

Have you ever driven through a snowstorm, against all logic, to get to a meeting? Held onto a tanking stock? Passed up a designer bag at a yard sale? Reading Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior may help you understand why. An easy read in the style of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Sway uses anecdotes and popular psychology research to outline some common behavioral pitfalls.

Although the book lacks in-depth analysis and contradictory research to be considered serious academic fair, it gives familiar examples of illogical actions in the face of mounting evidence. Sway explains concepts like loss aversion, commitment, diagnosis bias and value attribution and how they play out in individuals and groups. (For more info on value attribution and designer fashion, read Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster .)

Personally, I appreciated the reminder of how important dissenters are, even if the dissenters are wrong, and how "stay the course" can be the worst option of all.

"Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior", by Ori & Rom Brafman, Doubleday, NY 2008. ISBN: 978-0-385-52438-4, HC 206/181 Notes 13 pgs., Index 6 pgs., 8 ½" x 6".

A short book by two brothers, one a psychologist, written for general consumption. Basically, we are told that hidden mental influences "sway" our decision-making so the writers take great effort to supply those underlying influences, weaving and inter-weaving stories of tragedy, etc., with underlying mechanisms they recite as responsible. Some of their conjectures appear factual or possible, but in others we would have us fantasize at great length to believe their explanations of these mysteries.

All in all, one would have to be swayed excessively to believe these apparent concoctions have verifiable truths; for recounting a couple of interesting psychological clinical studies is not sufficient to make them come true, as that is magical thinking. Their general treatment of psychology is superficial, exuding an excess of simplicity. Both the human mind and behavior are complex and difficult to predict. If simplistic, we would not need to have so many psychologists, psychiatrist and social workers dealing with the populace.

All in all, their writings may have some importance, but the present work is not designed for anything more than entertainment.

I think it is a bit of a misclassification to compare this to Blink or Freakonomics. Blink is not so much about classifying types of reasoning errors and Freakonomics is really about investigative statistical analysis than pure human thought processes. But there are several other similar books that have emerged in the last year.

If I had to pick one book on this topic I would choose How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business by Hubbard. Although Hubbard deals deals with the even broader topic of measuremeant and estimation he still gives more substantial information on human biases and how they affect our estimates and decisions. After that I place On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not and Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions as near equals on the topic.

Unlike Hubbard, the authors of Sway spend too much time on anecdotes and not enough time on the aggregate facts and statistics. Selected examples are useful for making a point but only if there is measured evidence backing up the claim that the example is somehow representative of a broader population. I would recommend reading at least one or two of the other book's I just mentioned to see the contrast.

i read ori's previous book starfish and the spider which was a bit all over the place but an interesting look at how decentralized organizations succeed. i was excited to get his new book and was not disappointed. he is like the newer version of malcolm gladwell, tying in really interesting stories to cover this topic of irrational decision making and why we do it. many great examples and he does an okay job of giving you specific take aways to think about in how we each make our own decisions. definitely worth checking out.

This is a compilation of research and articles you've likely seen elsewhere. The authors tried to put a new slant on it by tying one into another, to show some kind of connectivity. Wait for the movie, then don't go see it.

This is a smoothly written, enjoyable quick read that covers a really interesting subject. We all think we make rational, reasonable choices. But we all know of times that when we look back now we wonder if we really picked the right door, or maybe if 'psychological' reasons somehow pushed or pulled us towards an imperfect choice. This book is one of many neat books that takes solid research published in the growing fields of behavioural economics and social psychology, and then makes a readable whole out of them. There are riptides we feel underneath the waves we see. Not Freud or Jung psychobabble, but reliable biases and mental shortcuts that work for us most of the time. This book is about the times when they work against us.

Cool stuff: Great examples bring the ideas to life. (Hearing a master play a Stradivarius on the NY subway, the academic reaction to the Piltdown man, a surprising secret in an Israeli army leadership training course. On and on.) No need for any prior psychology knowledge. Clearly lets the reader understand the non-intuitive principles involved. Includes recent research findings in a story driven format. Not bogged down by intellectual showing off or long digressions. There are references at the back for those who want to read the original research.

What it is not: This ain't a definitive textbook. It is not new ground (but rather an overview of the field in a readable form). It doesn't get into details or any depth of why we behave in these ways, or how the behaviours may be connected. But that's OK, as long as you know you are buying a great general read not a graduate-level treatment.

The book finds new veins of gold in the mine of psychological research that has already produced Robert Cialdini's `Influence,' Scott Plous's `The Psychology of Judgement and Decision Making,' and other cool books like `Nudge,' or ` Freakanomics.' An fascinating worthwhile read.

This is a smoothly written quick read that covers some fascinating ground. We all think we make rational, reasonable choices. But we all know of times that when we look back now we wonder if we really picked the right door, or maybe if 'psychological' reasons somehow pushed or pulled us towards an imperfect choice. This book is one of many books that takes solid research published in the growing fields of behavioural economics and social psychology, and then makes a readable whole out of them. There are riptides underneath the surface. Not Freud or Jung psychobabble, but reliable biases and mental shortcuts that work for us most of the time. This book is about the times when they work against us.

Cool stuff: Great examples bring the ideas to life. (Stradivarius in concert on the NY subway, the Piltdown man, surprising secret in an Israeli army leadership training course. On and on.) No need for any prior psychology knowledge. Clearly lets the reader understand the non-intuitive principles. Not bogged down by intellectual showing off or long digressions. There are references at the back for those who want to read the original research.

What it is not: This ain't a definitive textbook. It is not new ground (but rather an overview of the field in a readable form). It doesn't get into details or any depth of really why we behave in these ways, or how the behaviours may be connected. But that's OK, as long as you know you are buying a great general read not a graduate-level treatment.

The book finds new veins of gold in the mine of psychological research that has already produced Robert Cialdini's `Influence,' Scott Plous's `The Psychology of Judgement and Decision Making,' and such titles as `Nudge,' ` Freakanomics' and so on.

What a great read! Well organized and smartly written, this exploration of the reasons behind irrational behavior is a real page turner. Oddly, reading it makes you feel good, as learning the reasons why people behave illogically makes you feel more in control.

Another surprise: Even though this book is based on scientific thought, it is an easy and quick read. Witty and clear, it's filled with interesting, real-life examples of behavior, such as how Steve Spurrier's unusual style of coaching college football drives his competitors mad. (I should know: I went to FSU!)

Apparently we're wired to act in irrational ways. Our brains are so averse to loss that we avoid it at all costs. People pay stupid amounts to rental-car companies for unnecessary "loss damage" protection. The head of safety at an airline takes off in a 747 without proper tower clearance, ignoring his own safety protocol, crashing and killing everyone aboard. Why? He didn't want to lose his reputation for always being on time.

Once we recognize why our brains are setting us up for failure, we can consciously make other, smarter, choices. Sway takes much of the mystery out of irrational behavior.

Here's the chapter list:

1. Anatomy of an Accident
2. The Swamp of Commitment
3. The Hobbit and the Missing Link
4. Michael Jordan and the First-Date Interview
5. The Bipolar Epidemic and the Chameleon Effect
6. In France, the Sun Revolves Around the Earth
7. Compensation and Cocaine
8. Dissenting Justice

For a companion read I'd recommend another new book, The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives.

Why would a seasoned pilot, the head of KLM's safety program, ignore his co-pilot and attempt a takeoff in fog at an unfamiliar airport, causing the worst air disaster in history? Why did the co-pilot, who had done exactly the right thing when he reminded his captain that the flight had not been cleared for takeoff, fail to repeat his warning when the pilot pressed ahead?

The collision at Tenerife airport cost the lives of 584 people. Using that accident as their starting point, the Brafman brothers explore the psychological forces that cause people to take large risks to avoid small losses, to judge people and situations by first impressions despite subsequent inconsistent evidence, and to ignore objections from dissenters.

"Sway" is the latest in an engaging series of books like Malcolm Gladwell's "Tipping Point" and "Blink" and Steven Levitt's "Freakonomics." The Brafmans' effort is one of the best written and most approachable of the recent crop, and somehow it kept my focused attention for the duration of a cross-country flight--perhaps the authors are appealing to my irrational impulses in ways they don't let on!

Anyway, one of the most interesting parts of the book is the most reassuring. Research reveals that groups often make better decisions if there's a "blocker" or "dissenter" present--even if that person dissents for the wrong reasons. The authors describe a classic experiment in which the test subjects are led to believe they are being tested for their visual skills--three lines of different lengths are to be matched to a fourth line. The differences in line length are very obvious, so there is plainly only one correct answer. If you put the real subject in a room with several actors who are pretending to be test subjects but who have actually been instructed to give a manifestly wrong answer, most subjects in the experiment will behave in a compltely irrational manner, agreeing with the other "subjects" that lines that are obviously different are exactly the same. But if an actor playing "blocker" is added to the mix and points out that the group is wrong, the subject feels free to disagree and usually makes the right choice. This is true even if the "blocker" makes a different "wrong" choice by picking two other lines of plainly different lengths. What this experiement says for the business and political world is that organizations that "brook no dissent" (like the Bush administration) are likely to perform about as well as that ill-fated flight at Tenarife.

Back to the cockpit: pilots at Southwest and other airlines are now trained to avoid the disaster that happened at Tenerife. Pilots are taught to listed to objections from other crew members, and crew members are trained to communicate those objections in a way that enables the pilot to respond quickly and correctly.

The Brafmans approach this fascinating subject with wit and style, and they tackle other interesting problems besides the one described above: why people often judge a book by its cover (so to speak), why people insist on being treated fairly even if that means foregoing a benefit, and why audiences for the French and Russian versions of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire" behave much differently from each other and from their American counterparts.

If you enjoy books like "Sway," you might want to visit my "Quirkology" list. Gladwell and Levitt unleashed a torrent of similarly conceived books, many of which are quite good.

To steal a march from the disclaimer on the back of "Sway" (which you can see above), if you decide to buy the book because of this review, "you just got swayed." But you should still give this review a "helpful" vote.

This is a very fine book, a fast read, and highly relevant to Web 2.0 and all the emergent opportunities to turn our world right side up, restoring power back to all the people. My reading has moved heavily toward cognitive science and "open everything," and my avowed goal, apart from creating public intelligence in the public interest, is to make "true cost" visible to the public on every product and service, penetrating through the kinds of sway barriers this book describes.

Each chapter is excellent, with a nice teaser diagram. The book is double-spaced with adequate notes and index.

My flyleaf highlights:

+ Diagnosis bias is huge. [The book does not focus enough on how our "experts know more and more about less and less," but the core point is valid: once their tiny little brain storage reaches a conclusion, they bend everything to fit it. this could also be called paradigm or disciplinary bias.]

+ Hidden currents in the individual and group decision support process include loss aversion, value attribution or negatiion, and a commitment to the wrong s trategy. Holy Cow. Talk about CIA, Microsoft, Google, CISCO, they are all there.

+ NBA draft is mostly guess and speculation [so is most intelligence "analysis" and both groups get away with it because they are not held accountable for getting it wrong.]

+ Labels *matter* and deeply influence outcomes.

+ Visualization *sells* just about anything.

+ Cues and subtle messages are nuanced and complex and omnipresent. I was really engaged by this section.

+ Need to be heard is vital and the more one does that, the more value is created (this is social networking 101, as Web 2.0 starts to go over the cliff so Web 3.0 can rise like a Pheonix.] The authors stress that those offering to listen must *hear* each individual voice.

+ Blockers matter, i.e. there have to be people in the loop who have the courage, the commitment, the *role* of saying no to abuses of authority including rankism. [I think of all our flag officers and Congress Members who refused to challenge the criminal lies of the White House and the abuses of power by the Vice President, all documented now in the open literature. Had Colin Powell resigned and called for a stop, he would be President in 2009, instead of those now running. all flawed in their own way [and each a testiment to how easily we are swayed by a lack of substance on the part of all three--visit Earth Intelligence Network to see the 52 questions none of the candidates can answer, and the 52 "starter" answers for a Citizens Summit to discuss (February 2009 in Chicago, over Lincoln's birthday).

Great little book. Here are some others I have found to be valuable:
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
The Age of Missing Information
Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

Below is the first in a series of non-profit books (also free online), relevant to creating public intelligence in the public interest).
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

This is a very fine book, a fast read, and highly relevant to Web 2.0 and all the emergent opportunities to turn our world right side up, restoring power back to all the people. My reading has moved heavily toward cognitive science and "open everything," and my avowed goals, apart from creating public intelligence in the public interest.

Each chapter is excellent, with a nice teaser diagram. The book is double-spaced with adequate notes and index.

My flyleaf highlights:

+ Diagnosis bias is huge. [The book does not focus enough on how our "experts know more and more about less and less," but the core point is valid: once their tiny little brain storage reaches a conclusion, they bend everything to fit it. this could also be called paradigm or disciplinary bias.]

+ Hidden currents in the individual and group decision support process include loss aversion, value attribution or negatiion, and a commitment to the wrong s trategy. Holy Cow. Talk about CIA, Microsoft, Google, CISCO, they are all there.

+ NBA draft is mostly guess and speculation [so is most intelligence "analysis" and both groups get away with it because they are not held accountable for getting it wrong.]

+ Labels *matter* and deeply influence outcomes.

+ Visualization *sells* just about anything.

+ Cues and subtle messages are nuanced and complex and omnipresent. I was really engaged by this section.

+ Need to be heard is vital and the more one does that, the more value is created (this is social networking 101, as Web 2.0 starts to go over the cliff so Web 3.0 can rise like a Pheonix.] The authors stress that those offering to listen must *hear* each individual voice.

+ Blockers matter, i.e. there have to be people in the loop who have the courage, the commitment, the *role* of saying no to abuses of authority including rankism. [I think of all our flag officers and Congress Members who refused to challenge the criminal lies of the White House and the abuses of power by the Vice President, all documented now in the open literature. Had Colin Powell resigned and called for a stop, he would be President in 2009, instead of those now running. all flawed in their own way [and each a testiment to how easily we are swayed by a lack of substance on the part of all three--visit Earth Intelligence Network to see the 52 questions none of the candidates can answer, and the 52 "starter" answers for a Citizens Summit to discuss (February 2009 in Chicago, over Lincoln's birthday).

Great little book. Here are some others I have found to be valuable:
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
The Age of Missing Information
Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

Below is the first in a series of non-profit books (also free online), relevant to creating public intelligence in the public interest).
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

This is a very fine book, a fast read, and highly relevant to Web 3.0 and all the emergent opportunities to turn our world right side up, restoring power back to all the people. My reading has moved heavily toward cognitive science and "open everything," and my avowed goals, apart from creating public intelligence in the public interest.

Each chapter is excellent, with a nice teaser diagram. The book is double-spaced with adequate notes and index.

My flyleaf highlights:

+ Diagnosis bias is huge. [The book does not focus enough on how our "experts know more and more about less and less," but the core point is valid: once their tiny little brain storage reaches a conclusion, they bend everything to fit it. this could also be called paradigm or disciplinary bias.]

+ Hidden currents in the individual and group decision support process include loss aversion, value attribution or negatiion, and a commitment to the wrong s trategy. Holy Cow. Talk about CIA, Microsoft, Google, CISCO, they are all there.

+ NBA draft is mostly guess and speculation [so is most intelligence "analysis" and both groups get away with it because they are not held accountable for getting it wrong.]

+ Labels *matter* and deeply influence outcomes.

+ Visualization *sells* just about anything.

+ Cues and subtle messages are nuanced and complex and omnipresent. I was really engaged by this section.

+ Need to be heard is vital and the more one does that, the more value is created (this is social networking 101, as Web 2.0 starts to go over the cliff so Web 3.0 can rise like a Pheonix.] The authors stress that those offering to listen must *hear* each individual voice.

+ Blockers matter, i.e. there have to be people in the loop who have the courage, the commitment, the *role* of saying no to abuses of authority including rankism. [I think of all our flag officers and Congress Members who refused to challenge the criminal lies of the White House and the abuses of power by the Vice President, all documented now in the open literature. Had Colin Powell resigned and called for a stop, he would be President in 2009, instead of those now running. all flawed in their own way [and each a testiment to how easily we are swayed by a lack of substance on the part of all three--visit Earth Intelligence Network to see the 52 questions none of the candidates can answer, and the 52 "starter" answers for a Citizens Summit to discuss (February 2009 in Chicago, over Lincoln's birthday).

Great little book. Here are some others I have found to be valuable:
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
The Age of Missing Information
Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

The answer (first in series, all free online as they emerge):
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

I've always considered myself pragmatic, logical, and clearly even-keeled. Then, I read Ori and Rom's book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. It's a magnetic read and I zipped through it in 2 quick sittings.

I rather like books that make me think twice about truths I hold self-evident. And Sway certainly made me think. Did I pre-judge my employees based on what others had said about them, or their previous jobs? Do I make rash (and possibly dangerous or stupid) choices when I'm committed to a certain plan of action and feel any diversion would be a loss? I certainly look for fairness in my business and personal transactions. But is fairness the key metric? Maybe not.

The book has opened my eyes and mind to new ways of approaching my business activities and relationships and family interactions. Hopefully I will recognize in advance a moment where I might act rash or choose the wrong -- irrational -- path and think again about my choices.

This is a very fine book, a fast read, and highly relevant to Web 3.0 and all the emergent opportunities to turn our world right side up, restoring power back to all the people. My reading has moved heavily toward cognitive science and "open everything," and my avowed goals, apart from creating public intelligence in the public interest, and putting both Google and CIA out of business--they represent the two extremes of evil--the first for programming what your search finds based on who paid to determine what you see, and the second for focusing exclusively on secrets read by puppies, with no respect at all for open sources or multinational multicultural diversity of analytic view.

Each chapter is excellent, with a nice teaser diagram. The book is double-spaced with adequate notes and index.

My flyleaf highlights:

+ Diagnosis bias is huge. [The book does not focus enough on how our "experts know more and more about less and less, but the core point is valid: once their tiny little brain storage reaches a conclusion, they bend everything to fit it. this could also be called paradigm or disciplinary bias.]

+ Hidden currents in the individual and group decision support process include loss aversion, value attribution or negatiion, and a commitment to the wrong s trategy. Holy Cow. Talk about CIA, Microsoft, Google, CISCO, they are all there.

+ NBA draft is mostly guess and speculation [so is most intelligence "analysis" and both groups get away with it because they are not held accountable for getting it wrong.]

+ Labels *matter* and deeply influence outcomes.

+ Visualization *sells* just about anything.

+ Cues and subtle messages are nuanced and complex and omnipresent. I was really engaged by this section.

+ Need to be heard is vital and the more one does that, the more value is created (this is social networking 101, as Web 2.0 starts to go over the cliff so Web 3.0 can rise like a Pheonix.] The authors stress that those offering to listen must *hear* each individual voice.

+ Blockers matter, i.e. there have to be people in the loop who have the courage, the commitment, the *role* of saying no to abuses of authority including rankism. [I think of all our flag officers and Congress Members who refused to challenge the criminal lies of the White House and the abuses of power by the Vice President, all documented now in the open literature. Had Colin Powell resigned and called for a stop, he would be President in 2009, instead of those now running. all flawed in their own way [and each a testiment to how easily we are swayed by a lack of substance on the part of all three--visit Earth Intelligence Network to see the 52 questions none of the candidates can answer, and the 52 "starter" answers for a Citizens Summit to discuss (February 2009 in Chicago, over Lincoln's birthday).

Great little book. Here are some others I have found to be valuable:
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media
The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past
Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration
The Age of Missing Information
Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography
Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq

The answer (first in series, all free online as they emerge):
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace