Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour, by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Sway is a slim, stylish book that is self-consciously part of a trend. Like Blink and Freakonomics, it looks at the science of decision-making, taking obscure academic studies and applying them to everyday life. It shares with those books the breezy, anecdotal style that should probably be called Gladwell-esque. But the one-word title that Sway bears most similarity to is Nudge, the latest publication from University of Chicago professor Richard Thaler.
Along with the economist Daniel Kahneman, whose Nobel-prizewinning prospect theory is predictably referenced here, Thaler is the godfather of behavioural economics. This is hot stuff right now, as President Obama showed when he enlisted Thaler to plan his new stimulus package. So Sway comes along at a good time — hence perhaps its status as an ‘international bestseller’.
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