The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power To Change Others

Sharot (cognitive neuroscience, Univ. Coll. London; The Optimism Bias) examines the power of influence. She argues that to influence people successfully, their behaviors must be compatible with how their thoughts. Sharing stories from both her own life as well as her lab experiments, Sharot explores the roles that emotions, agency, incentives, and curiosity play when it comes to influence. She asks thought-provoking questions to get her points across. The author also cites scholarly and popular sources while applying practical examples from her experience and the news. For example, she recalls when she lived in Manhattan and saw a terrified man run down the street, which made others follow. She joined the crowd since 9/11 was three days prior and people were still on high alert. Eventually, people stopped when they realized there was no reason to run, but because this incident happened so close to the attack on the World Trade Center, people's minds were programmed to react. Sharot's writing is clear and accessible, with figures that help to illustrate her argument.