In true academic style, Davies attempts a grand unified theory of compellingness, although his myriad, diverse observations defy tidy explanation. And we are drawn to narratives that repeat familiar patterns – our craving for explanation makes us seek patterns even when there may well be none.

We are more likely to believe something if it makes us fearful, or hopeful, possibly for evolutionary reasons. For example, stories and theories are more interesting if they involve people, or social explanations. He thinks that compelling things tend to be compelling for much the same reasons. Davies researches imagination and artistic creativity at the Institute of Cognitive Science at Carleton University in Ottowa, Canada. '.In the battle to grab attention, you should heed the musings of Jim Davies in Riveted. 'The book is an outstanding resource for curious readers-my own copy of the references section was smothered with sticky notes flagging articles to track down for further reading.'

'In Riveted, he takes us well beyond the walls of his own laboratory, taking the reader on an attraction-packed tour of the last two decades' worth of scientific studies probing the informational affinities and biases of humans.' You can purchase Rivetedand judge it for yourself.īooks To Business Podcast: November 24, 2019. A better life doesn’t need to look like a massive change-like our beloved dogs who already view us as our best selves, it’s already much closer than you think.Listing all reviews, even if they're bad, might mean selling fewer books, but this is science, and science just doesn't work without feedback. The most surprising truth Davies offers us spreads across these pages like wildfire: you too can lead an optimally good life, not through uprooting your life from the ground up, but from adapting your mentality to your given present. Davies proves why multitasking is bad for you, when a little unmindfulness can be good for you, how to best justify which charities to donate to, and how to hack your brain.

Where most books imagine solutions that, when enacted, fail to fundamentally improve our lives, Jim Davies grounds his research in cognitive science to show you not only what works, but how much it works.īeing the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are shows us how we can use science to become our best selves, using resources we already have within our own brains.ĭavies' book challenges and inspires us to approach the big picture while also staying mindful of the everyday details in real life. Why do we feel like in order to be productive, happy, or good, we must sacrifice everything else? Is it possible to feel all three at once? Without even knowing it, we’re doing things everyday to sabotage ourselves and our societies, habits that prevent us from optimizing long term happiness. A crisp and sparkling blend of cognitive science and human behavior that offers meaningful and attainable pathways towards becoming our best selves.

Riveted by Jim Davies