Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
by: Ori Brafman, Rom Brafman
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A fascinating journey into the hidden psychological influences that derail our decision-making, Sway will change the way you think about the way you think.
Why is it so difficult to sell a plummeting stock or end a doomed relationship? Why do we listen to advice just because it came from someone “important”? Why are we more likely to fall in love when there’s danger involved? In Sway, renowned organizational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, answer all these questions and more.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, Sway reveals dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
Sway introduces us to the Harvard Business School professor who got his students to pay $204 for a $20 bill, the head of airline safety whose disregard for his years of training led to the transformation of an entire industry, and the football coach who turned conventional strategy on its head to lead his team to victory. We also learn the curse of the NBA draft, discover why interviews are a terrible way to gauge future job performance, and go inside a session with the Supreme Court to see how the world’s most powerful justices avoid the dangers of group dynamics.
Every once in a while, a book comes along that not only challenges our views of the world but changes the way we think. In Sway, Ori and Rom Brafman not only uncover rational explanations for a wide variety of irrational behaviors but also point readers toward ways to avoid succumbing to their pull.
A fascinating journey into the hidden psychological influences that derail our decision-making, Sway will change the way you think about the way you think.
Why is it so difficult to sell a plummeting stock or end a doomed relationship? Why do we listen to advice just because it came from someone “important”? Why are we more likely to fall in love when there’s danger involved? In Sway, renowned organizational thinker Ori Brafman and his brother, psychologist Rom Brafman, answer all these questions and more.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, Sway reveals dynamic forces that influence every aspect of our personal and business lives, including loss aversion (our tendency to go to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation), and the “chameleon effect” (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
Sway introduces us to the Harvard Business School professor who got his students to pay $204 for a $20 bill, the head of airline safety whose disregard for his years of training led to the transformation of an entire industry, and the football coach who turned conventional strategy on its head to lead his team to victory. We also learn the curse of the NBA draft, discover why interviews are a terrible way to gauge future job performance, and go inside a session with the Supreme Court to see how the world’s most powerful justices avoid the dangers of group dynamics.
Every once in a while, a book comes along that not only challenges our views of the world but changes the way we think. In Sway, Ori and Rom Brafman not only uncover rational explanations for a wide variety of irrational behaviors but also point readers toward ways to avoid succumbing to their pull.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Easy to read and very interesting
I really enjoyed reading this book. the writing was captivating and informational. i am a psychology graduate student and the author described the psychological theories and findings accuratly and effectively.
Rating: - Very enjoyable and informative
If you're interested in human psychology, get this book ASAP (it's coming out in paperback soon). I just finished an enjoyable Psych 101 class and this book had many of the same themes and concepts. The authors come up with many persuasive arguments on subjects ranging from evolutionary fossils to altruism. My only complaint--I'm not the only reviewer to point this out--is that they needlessly rename some psychological concepts, such as cognitive dissonance. Nevertheless, Sway is well worth reading.
Rating: - Swayed from word one!
Appropriately enough, I was swayed into this book from the very first word! Fascinating, funny, and superbly written, _Sway_reveals how irrational forces (including loss aversion, value attribution, and diagnoses bias) unconsciously influence our behaviors and thinking. Each chapter begins with a title page of irresistible teasers (such as: "The $204 twenty-dollar bill," Can a discount drink decrease IQ?" "What lovesick college freshmen have in common with HR managers," "Peer pressure and Coke-bottle ... Read More
Rating: - Not very original but decent
Although I enjoy the subject, there are a few original ideas and real life cases in the book. There are many repetetions but overall it is a decent book.
Rating: 
- Lacking.
A poor imitation of the pop culture/psychology genre benchmarked by Malcolm Gladwell. While the topic was interesting enough (why people make irrational decisions in light of contradictory information), but the presentation left something lacking. I never got the "Aha!" realizations I get in Gladwell's books, nor did the examples seem particularly compelling and strong. The most interesting (NBA draft) were given lip service while the boring ones ("the missing link") were beaten to death. I quit about 2/3 ... Read More
- Easy to read and very interestingI really enjoyed reading this book. the writing was captivating and informational. i am a psychology graduate student and the author described the psychological theories and findings accuratly and effectively.
- Very enjoyable and informativeIf you're interested in human psychology, get this book ASAP (it's coming out in paperback soon). I just finished an enjoyable Psych 101 class and this book had many of the same themes and concepts. The authors come up with many persuasive arguments on subjects ranging from evolutionary fossils to altruism. My only complaint--I'm not the only reviewer to point this out--is that they needlessly rename some psychological concepts, such as cognitive dissonance. Nevertheless, Sway is well worth reading.
- Swayed from word one!Appropriately enough, I was swayed into this book from the very first word! Fascinating, funny, and superbly written, _Sway_reveals how irrational forces (including loss aversion, value attribution, and diagnoses bias) unconsciously influence our behaviors and thinking. Each chapter begins with a title page of irresistible teasers (such as: "The $204 twenty-dollar bill," Can a discount drink decrease IQ?" "What lovesick college freshmen have in common with HR managers," "Peer pressure and Coke-bottle ... Read More
- Not very original but decentAlthough I enjoy the subject, there are a few original ideas and real life cases in the book. There are many repetetions but overall it is a decent book.
- Lacking.A poor imitation of the pop culture/psychology genre benchmarked by Malcolm Gladwell. While the topic was interesting enough (why people make irrational decisions in light of contradictory information), but the presentation left something lacking. I never got the "Aha!" realizations I get in Gladwell's books, nor did the examples seem particularly compelling and strong. The most interesting (NBA draft) were given lip service while the boring ones ("the missing link") were beaten to death. I quit about 2/3 ... Read More
