Sway

The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior

By: Rom Brafman, Ori Brafman

Narrated by: John Apicella

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Like the best-selling Blink and Freakonomics, this lively narrative is a fresh view of the world, explaining the previously inexplicable and revealing hidden influences on human decision-making.

A Harvard Business School student pays over $200 for a $20 bill. Washington, D.C., commuters ignore a free subway concert by a violin prodigy. A veteran airline pilot attempts to take off without control-tower clearance and collides with another plane on the runway. Why do we do the wildly irrational things we sometimes do?

Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, brothers Ori and Rom Brafman reveal the dynamic forces that act on us repeatedly over time, affecting nearly every aspect of our personal and business lives. They show how we are sabotaged by loss aversion (going to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (ignoring evidence that contradicts our initial take on a person or situation), and commitment (even when a plan isn't working, we are reluctant to change course).

Weaving together colorful stories about dot-com millionaires, game-show audiences, NBA coaches, and the U.S. Supreme Court, this audiobook tours the flip side of reason and points us toward a more rational life.

©2008 Copyright © Ori and Rom Brafman. Recorded by arrangement with Currency/Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. (P)2008 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"Brilliant." (Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum)
"Sway helped me recognize an aspect of irrational behavior in my experimental work in physics. Sometimes I have jumped into some research that didn't feel quite right...but some irrational lure, such as the hope of quick success, pulled me in." (Martin L. Perl, 1995 Nobel Laureate in physics)

An effective book

If you could sum up Sway in three words, what would they be?

SWAY opens your Eyes to understanding irrational behavior.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I could begin to understand my own actions over the past years.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really, but it made me think more deeply.

Love It

I love this book, it never gets old. I listen to it all the time.

This is a must read for any decisionmaker.

If you ever wondered why someone made such a foolish mistake reading this book will help you understand and will give you good insight on how to make good decisions yourself in really tough situations.

Outstanding read

Already reread and used some examples in a social psych class I teach. Very good for getting interest among the students.

An incomplete version of Think fast, think slow

A short and incomplete version of Think fast / think slow. Written in narrative connections is at Best complemtary reading to the aforementioned book.

powerful well told stories,invaluable information

loved this unique and compelling treatment of how irrational behavior can ruin our lives and the world or, through the insight provided here, make a better life and world

Sway

I thought this book was well done, and I learned a lot. I thought some of the concepts like self-fulfilling, prophecy, or making the diagnosis of the situation or yourself and then allowing that diagnosis to limit you was an eye-opener. We think about it, but we usually don’t put it on a conscious level. Also, the concept of a blocker meaning that somebody who comments or suggest that, maybe in the direction we’re going may not be appropriate, and we need to think a little more about. It is a good way for us to review our concept, our thoughts and our direction. And finally the idea of the devils advocate is probably a good idea when it’s done in a positive way. Meaning, that if you’re going to have a concept or an idea for your company, maybe we should ordain an individual or individuals to question the rationale for what we’re doing in a thought provoking way to help us think more about the direction that we are taking our company at that moment. On all good book well delivered.
Dr. Ed Aleo

Disappointing book

If you want to understand the reasons behind irrational behaviour, "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely" is a much better choice.

The authors of "Sway" preferred storytelling to detailed explanation to explain irrational behaviours. Although their stories are mildly entertaining, they lack the depth and details of Ariely's book. Unless you are looking for superficial answers to irrational behaviours, I would recommend you invest a few more hours in reading Ariely's book and get a much better understanding.

Rationally liked this book

Fans of Malcolm Gladwell (especially “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference,” 2000 and “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” 2005) will appreciate Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman’s “Sway: The Irresistible Power of Irrational Behavior” I have all of Gladwell’s books. In hardback. And I really liked “Sway”. Actually, “Sway” was an easier read/listen. “Sway” has a lot more anecdotal stories to illustrate the points the Brothers Brafman are making.

My favorite chapter was Eight, “Dissenting Justice.” The Brafmans have the most thorough and easy to understand discussion of how the US Supreme Court reviews cases it decides to hear. The purpose of Supreme Courts conferences is to determine how the Court will rule, and the process – honed over hundreds of years – is to make rational decisions, and to respect the voices of dissent. Very few organizations, business or government, would have the time or discipline to engage in the same process – but a modified procedure, encouraging similar careful consideration of the facts, would be well applied used in corporate decision making processes.

Chapter Seven, “Cocaine and Compassion” was a close second to Chapter Eight. In “Cocaine and Compassion”, the Brafmans discuss the difference between pleasure center motivation (money, cocaine) and altruistic motivation. The bottom line is that people are more likely to cooperate and perform well for altruistic reasons – and, for biological reasons, the motivation is going to be either pleasure or altruism, but not both at the same time.

Altruism is discussed extensively in Adam Grant’s 2013 “Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success.” “Sway” was easier to understand, and I think I would have had an easier time with “Give and Take” if I’d read/listened to “Sway” first.

I liked parts of “Sway” so much, I listened to parts of it more than once.

The narration was good, but I could have done without the random music – I wasn’t sure what sections it was setting apart.

Phenomenal.

This book will change and enhance your perspective of the world. I highly recommend it.