The As If Principle

The Radically New Approach to Changing Your Life

By: Richard Wiseman

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Victorian philosopher William James had a theory about emotion and behavior: It isn’t that our feelings guide our actions (feel happy and you will laugh). On the contrary, it is our actions that guide our emotions (laugh and you will feel happy). This led James to a remarkable conclusion: "If you want a quality, act as if you already have it." Roused by James’s astonishing discovery, renowned psychologist and best-selling author Richard Wiseman confirms James’s principle and shows how the self-help genre has for too long put the cart before the horse in trying to help us take control of our lives.

Bringing to the table a dazzling array of firsthand experiments, surprising histories, and psychological case studies, Wiseman illustrates in brilliant detail how we can apply this principle in our daily lives:

• Smile to become measurably happier
• Wash your hands to drive away guilt
• Clench your fist to increase your willpower
• Eat with your nondominant hand to lose weight
• Nod while speaking to become more persuasive
• Act like a newlywed to rekindle your marriage

Lively, engaging, and truly mind-changing, The As If Principle is that rare gem that offers real, workable solutions for your day-to-day goals while helping you to instantly take control of your emotions. Whether it’s quitting a bad habit, persevering through a difficult task, or achieving your dream self, The As If Principle can help. Don’t just think about changing your life. Do it.

©2013 Richard Wiseman (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

great asset to your audiobook store

great examples of how you mind understand how your body act. very useful tips to day day life.

Applying behavioral psych in your life

Useful tips for making changes in your life. Worth reading although author has a little chip on his shoulder with regard to deeper psychodynamic processes.

fascinating

story of how to chance your life based of psychological research. highly recommended for people

Excellent way to think!

The book was excellent; I even started utilizing some of the examples in my everyday life.

Practical, Scientific, Witty

Would you listen to The As If Principle again? Why?

I will be listening to The As If Principle again, because not only is the science behind the principle, and the practical advice worth another listen, to further incorporate, internalize, and solidify my understanding, but Ralph Lister is just fun to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

What I liked best about The As If Principle, is how quickly and easily I could put it to work in my life. What's interesting, is that while many of the techniques, Wiseman teaches periodically throughout the book, have been taught before, it is the science that Wiseman explains, to back it all up, that makes it so effective, for me.The research examples, prove to me intellectually how sound the science is, and remove the doubt and dismissal that had previously prevented me from applying these kinds of techniques in my life.The techniques are so effective, and so simple that I am surprised more of humanity hasn't figured it out already. Some of the advice Wiseman points out, is actually so common in our society, that we ignore it, but much to our detriment. I won't ignore advice that intends to employ the As If Principle, ever again. This is the best self-improvement book I've listened to in a long time.

What about Ralph Lister’s performance did you like?

Quick, fun, British. Any book that I don't have to play back at 2x is worth recommending. Ordinarily I have to play a book back at 2x just to keep from losing focus. My mind will wander out of boredom with most books, if I don't crank up the speed. Not so with Ralph Lister. I will see what else he's narrated, because I enjoyed listening to him read The As If Principle so much.

What did you learn from The As If Principle that you would use in your daily life?

"Keep your chin up" is literally, perhaps the best advice anyone can ever give or receive. Do it.

It's my new favorite self-help book.

Although a portion of the information in this book is commonly available, it still puts enough information together about the topic to have kept me riveted. I've listened to many books on overcoming procrastination, making positive changes, and self-help in general in the past year. It feels very much like this book delivers the goods in a powerful succinct package. It's oriented toward getting you acting on the information right away, no matter what change you're working on. Highly inspiring!!

Behavior is everything

Excellent read and provocative knowledge at your fingertips. Highly recommended and my new go-to reference for action!

Interesting but kind of dull

This book is just a recounting of other people’s research. That’s it. It’s not bad, but it’s not what I thought it would be. No actionable steps, just the ones you derive on your own from listening to the science.

great concept; too many studies, not enough....

Any additional comments?

....not enough synthesis; i know now that acting first can train our minds, but this could have been taught in a 10 page paper; too many studies ending in the same conclusion; not enough analysis/synthesizing of the data. Good rule, but too long with little added benefit.

Waaaay too Many Case Studies!

I get why case studies can help you, well, make a case but this was just case study after case study. Very boring. I made the mistake of going back and purchasing the 59 Seconds book and it was essentially the same. There were some good nuggets buried among the case studies but wow, really boring. It felt like reading the index section of a science book.