The Charisma Myth

How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism

By: Olivia Fox Cabane

Narrated by: Lisa Cordileione

Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

What if charisma could be taught? For the first time, science and technology have taken charisma apart, figured it out and turned it into an applied science: In controlled laboratory experiments, researchers could raise or lower people's level of charisma as if they were turning a dial. What you'll find here is practical magic: unique knowledge, drawn from a variety of sciences, revealing what charisma really is and how it works. You'll get both the insights and the techniques you need to apply this knowledge. The world will become your lab, and every person you meet, a chance to experiment.

The Charisma Myth is a mix of fun stories, sound science, and practical tools. Cabane takes a hard scientific approach to a heretofore mystical topic, covering what charisma actually is, how it is learned, what its side effects are, and how to handle them.

Please note: The accompanying workbook for this title is available at AskOlivia.com/book/exercises/.

©2012 Olivia Fox Cabane (P)2012 Gildan Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Fox Cabane's distinct writing style...makes listening to each chapter both informational and fun. Each exercise is practical and easy...If you are interested in increasing your ability to be charismatic in your unique setting or employment, this audiobook will give you direct skills to use" ( PsychologyToday.com )

Excellent!

Buying a hard copy to study from. So much valuable information here. I always thought you needed to just "have it". Well, time to change that.

A great book, and its was very informative.

If you are looking for some insight into charisma, this is a definite read/listen. A well put together book, that gives both information and techniques for generating charisma from within yourself, that is tailormade.

Interesting

I found the lessons quite informative. Only issue is the same I have with some Audible readings, readers making mention of items that are only in the book.

Very Intriguing!

This book gave practical ways to establish and improve your charisma and all the tools you need to continue developing as well. Great easy read and I not only learned a lot but enjoyed the examples and stories as well! Thank You, very insightful!

Excellent read!

Very insightful and easily understood! 10/10 would recommend!! Definitely read if you're trying to improve any kind of relationship in your life.

Great book on being a better human

Wasn't a huge fan of the voice, but that's personal preference.

Book is great. Lots of great ideas on how to be a better human. Better at social and business life.

Great info!!

Great solid advice for anyone looking to be lore charismatic. Some things are obvious, others i had never though about before!

A very good book for anyone. Learnt a lot.

What made the experience of listening to The Charisma Myth the most enjoyable?

Smooth flow. Good set of exercises.

What did you like best about this story?

Anyone can practice.

What does Lisa Cordileione bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Feelings, emotions

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

Use Charisma for the good, honest, genuine and honorable causes

Any additional comments?

None

good book

This was very interesting and easy to listen to and learn from. has many useful tips.

On balance, it's worth reading.

the reason I rated it three stars is it like far too many books combines valid research and science with pseudoscience and possibly even MSU that's making s*** up.

To be fair it was published a while ago. that's sad it doesn't take much thinking to realize that our brain does know the difference between imagination and reality.

if it didn't it would turn any player of a first person shooter game into a mass murderer and no one would be afraid of speaking in front of real people rather than the imaginary people that they were rehearsed with.

While visualization is a great tool it is still and always will be an inferior replacement for actual practice in reality for a long list of reasons including physics and real unexpected interactions that don't happen in our overconfident artificial visualization fantasies.

All that said, I thought on balance that there was enough good content, exercises and techniques that it would be beneficial to any listener including myself.

Just be careful and take much of what she says with a grain of salt. While she cites specific research there's many things she says that seem more pseudoscientific & pop psychology than science.

I wish she'd describe the difference between process goals and outcome goals because most of her visualizations were outcome goals over which we have utterly no control they can only and only sometimes change our state and produce some of the confident & charismatic subcommunications.

Had she included a cautionary tale about confirmation bias while using her techniques, it would have added tremendous credibility that the book lacks without it.

Finally, she contradicts herself across the length of the book multiple times on major points.

Overall it's good, but it gets lost in fruit loopery too often to describe the book as " scientific".