SwayI just wrapped up the book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori and Rom Brafman. There were some intriguing thoughts in the book that have the potential to challenge the way we think. Here are some of the lines that grabbed my attention.

  • “The moment we label a person or a situation, we put on blinders to all evidence that contradicts our diagnosis.”
  • “The more meaningful a potential loss is, the more loss averse we become. In other words, the more there is on the line, the easier it is to get swept into an irrational decision.”
  • “When we encounter a new object, person, or situation, the value we assign to it shapes our further perception of it.”
  • “The price we pay for a ticket affects our enjoyment of the performance.”
  • “A single word has the power to alter our whole perception of another person-and possibly sour the relationship before it even begins.”
  • “When we’re in the position to make a diagnosis, we all become overly confident in our predictive abilities and overly optimistic about the future… We often ignore all evidence that contradicts what we want to believe.”
  • “If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to work for a boss who values and believes in you, you’ll know that you tend to rise to meet the high expectations set for you. On the other hand, there’s nothing that will make you feel more incompetent and demoralized than a supervisor who is convinced you don’t have what it takes.”
  • “Rather than assuming the final product speaks for itself, it’s good to remember to regularly engage and update members of our team during the process.”
  • “Neuropsychologists have shown that activities associated with addictive substances and those associated with monetary rewards are both processed by the pleasure center. Because monetary incentives present such a strong allure to us, they distort our thinking.”
  • “The presence of a dissenter-any dissenter, no matter how incompetent-still made it possible for a large segment of participants to deviate from the majority and give the right answer.”
  • “When we adopt the long view, on the other hand, immediate potential losses don’t seem as menacing.”
  • “If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do?… Why shouldn’t you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?”
  • “We make diagnostic errors when we narrow down our field of possibilities and zero in on a single interpretation of a situation or person.”

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