59 seconds

Think a little, change a lot

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Richard Wiseman: 59 seconds (2009, Pan Macmillan)

Paperback

English language

Published Sept. 6, 2009 by Pan Macmillan.

ISBN:
978-0-230-74429-5
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4 stars (18 reviews)

A psychologist and best-selling author gives us a myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips and tricks to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community.Richard Wiseman has been troubled by the realization that the self-help industry often promotes exercises that destroy motivation, damage relationships, and reduce creativity: the opposite of everything it promises. Now, in 59 Seconds, he fights back, bringing together the diverse scientific advice that can help you change your life in under a minute, and guides you toward becoming more decisive, more imaginative, more engaged, and altogether more happy.From mood to memory, persuasion to procrastination, resilience to relationships, Wiseman outlines the research supporting the new science of "rapid change" and, with clarity and infectious enthusiasm, describes how these quirky, sometimes counterintuitive techniques can be effortlessly incorporated into your everyday life. Or, as he likes to say: "Think a little, change a lot."From the …

3 editions

Some good advice

4 stars

Interesting self-help book that claims to offer life-changing advice, primarily through debunking the life changing advice that the self-help industry has been peddling for decades. I was intrigued by the premise when the book was published and so was delighted to get a copy via BookCrossing from this year's World Book Night stash.

I like how Wiseman explains the many scientific experiments he quotes and I was fascinated by the frequently bizarre studies that have been conducted into human behaviours. Each chapter addresses different aspects of life such as happiness, motivation, relationships and parenting. There is detailed information followed by a brief recap with quick exercises to try at home. These are all simple and practical, and it's fun to try them out. I was happy to see that several things I already do - such as spending money on experiences for treats rather than on stuff - were suggested. …

Review of '59 seconds' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

Why not invest a minute to be happier? Because that's not really what is being offered--that's just the marketing. If we were really doing science, we should follow up with the actual time it would take and statistics on how many readers of this book actually changed their lives

I started reading this for the dubious reason of wanting to see what another author I was reviewing recommended. I'm not an unhappy person, nor a wildly happy one--I'm not really sure what the abstraction "happiness" means even though others are comfortable giving an exact number from 1 to 10. I'd probably be happier if I were one of those others. I'd think less and smile more.

Also, I'm not eager to change anything about myself. One would think the author could understand why. He cites research that people who won the lottery didn't become happier. (Let's ignore for the moment …

Review of '59 seconds' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I found this book to be full of real science that has been shown to work vs. typical so-called "self help" du jour. There are excellent back stories to the research that lead to many of the findings and a summary that can provide you with ways of getting real benefits in just "59 seconds". Richard Wiseman is always a clever and entertaining scientist.

reviewed 59 seconds by Richard Wiseman (Borzoi book)

Review of '59 seconds' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Wiseman compares the myths/conjecture promoted by the self-help industry to the decades of psychological research done on areas like happiness, decision making, persuasion, motivation, creativity, and relationships. The focus is on small changes to one's life that can yield disproportionately large results (for example, writing down 3 things that you are grateful for can measurably increase happiness for a month). It's a pretty quick read, covers a wide range of subjects (so as to stay fresh), and has useful advice to give (with a Top Ten techniques at the very end).

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