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)

Nothing new here

Nothing in this book not said better in thinking fast and slow and even the art of thinking clearly

Interesting and informative read

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

I like it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sway?

Too hard to choose.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, too much to absorb in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

Good information about how we all make decisions. Helpful in keeping our heads properly attached... even if we aren't always able to.

good read

The book was an interesting book with some good studies of groups making decisions. It gives some great suggestions on how not to follow the herd.

Very interesting. Worth reading.

Good narration. An enjoyable read! Illuminates reasons poor decisions are made and how to correct them. It shows how no one is immune.

Helps inform you of your own misperceptions

In short, it's a good source for avoiding the trap "you don't know what you don't know" about yourself and people's behavior at large. It will inform you of several biases and misconceptions that influence people's life and decision-making processes.

This knowledge in this book is enlightening

Offers excellent insight on why we make decisions and helped me to recognize when I may have a bias that potentially could obstruct me from making the best decision. Highly recommend!!!

Will be extremely helpful at work!

What a great book! Will definitely listen to this again with my gf and take notes to implement.

Love this book

This is the second time listening after one time reading almost 9 years ago. So many insights but value attribution seems to stop me and the people I’m working with the most. Great book full of so much insight for any leader.

A must read!

Everyone needs to read this book. The world would be a much different place if everyone took the lessons from this book

terrific

I really enjoyed listening to Sway. The authors gave great examples of poor decision making They backed up the examples by laying out a "research supported" framework that helped explain what caused these bad decisions to occur. Further, they also laid out frameworks of decision making designed to avoid making poor decision. Narration was solid.