Redirect

The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change

By: Timothy D. Wilson

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Why might some sex education programs result in more teen pregnancies? Why did reading that self-help book make you feel less happy? What's the best way to recover from trauma? Can we actually improve our lives by redirecting our thinking?

We tell ourselves stories to make sense of the world. These stories ultimately determine if we will lead healthy, productive lives or get into trouble. Renowned psychologist Timothy Wilson proposes a radical new view: although these stories can be very hard to change, they can change - surprisingly quickly - if tweaked in the right way. He considers a broad range of problems, exposes failed attempts to solve them, and reframes them with new stories. Scientifically tested, his practical advice and simple techniques have been found to bring about real results including enhanced happiness, personal meaning, and social progress.

©2011 Original material © 2011 Timothy D. Wilson. (P)2011 (p) 2011 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"There are few academics who write with as much grace and wisdom as Timothy Wilson. Redirect is a masterpiece." (Malcolm Gladwell)

"May well be the single most important psychology book ever written." (Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology, Harvard University, author of Stumbling on Happiness)

Why programs fail.

Interesting book, but Wilson spends most the time describing educational intervention programs that don't work, why they don't work and why the government spends so much money on them.

I was hoping for more in-depth information on methods that are effective in changing behavior. These experiments are briefly described before moving on to the next popular program that doesn't work.

However, I would recommend it to parents, teachers, school board members, political leaders and anyone with a stake in the effectiveness of institutionalized education.

Highly enjoyable and entertaining!

One of those great “reads”! Perfect way to make your commute fun. I would recommended it if you like non-fiction material, but still like good stories.

Unexciting but Interesting

Redirect was not very exciting but it had a number of interesting tidbits. The narrator, Gover Gardner, was great as usual. Redirect tries to make it clear that we, as a society, should test ideas with experiments before spending millions on programs that ???make sense??? but may not actually be affective. Redirect also describes the interesting technique of ???Story Editing??? which, although not as magical as The Secret, would likely be more successful.

CHANGING ONE CHILD, FAMILY, COMMUNITY AT A TIME

This is just the best, most intelligent, fact based approach to child rearing and education that I've ever read. Rather than legislating based on hope, our leaders would do well to follow the testing guidelines outlined in this book before committing millions to programs that don't work. Parents would do well to ignore the Dr. Spock of the moment and read this if they want a happy, well adjusted child.

Wow!

I bought this book three months ago but I was not in a mood to listen to it. When I finally grabbed it, was sorry I didn't listen right away because it is an EXCELLENT book! I think REDIRECT is one of the greatest psychology books out there. If Carol Dweck's "Mindset" is the tip of the Iceberg, Redirect is the rest of the body from the same Iceberg.
Listen to it! I bet you will like it.

Not what I expected!

I guess this book wouldn't have been so bad if I knew what I was getting. I was under the impression that it was about taking this "new science" and using it to make changes in my own life. It has nothing to do with that. It is strictly about how a lot of the programs that the government, schools, etc..use to direct children and adults into doing the "right" think don't actually work.

"But when we use the story editing approach..."

Repetitious. Story editing is the golden hammer, and the author trots it out again and again after dissing the competition. He may be right, but the idea gets stretched thin, and I was losing interest before the book was done.

The Science of No Change

Count me in with the list of reviewers who felt deceived by the title. This would be a good introductory book about the value of scientific rigor. Beyond that it offered very little in the way of "surprising new science of psychological change." I was hoping for something along the lines of Mindset by Carol Dweck. The book was so negative, I laughed out loud when he said the don't laugh at me campaigned failed impart because people aren't motivated by negations.

Redirect Contains Interesting Information

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I bought this book because I heard an interview on a podcast. I like this book because it has a lot of interesting concepts.

I consider this a self improvement book as it assists the readers with personal growth, yet it attacks all self improvement materials as lacking scientific evidence. It sets itself apart as being science based. But science is often difficult, especially when it comes to people's behaviors. The book confirms the myriads of factors that can skew a test, so it leads me to question the "scientific evidence."

Has Redirect turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I still love learning about human behavior.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I like the narrator. I've heard him before on different books.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Redirect?

The entire attack on self improvement "movement." There's no need to bash another line or reasoning. We all have different beliefs and we're motivated by various incentives.

Redirect yourself from this dry book...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More substance of useful ideas and less data. Lay people need it simplified.

What was most disappointing about Timothy D. Wilson’s story?

The unexciting delivery

Which character – as performed by Grover Gardner – was your favorite?

wasn't any

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

Read it only if into to alternative methods of psychological practice