59 Seconds: Think A Little, Change A Lot (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Great book, with loads of tips of things you can and should do in 90 seconds. the gist is arm yourself with pen and paper (I prefer pencil) and write down negative thoughts about events that has happened or why you shouldn't put thingy off. discuss the small things and make sure they don't turn in to big things. physical touch improves your chance of hitting on people you find attractive. Invest an interest in someone (or people) and you can become closer. Finally men like big boobs.I think there were more tips but that's what I remember. A very interesting psychology book with a novel premise - there's a lot that can be done in a little bit of time. The author breaks up the novel into 10 sections and each section has a few suggestions for actions that you can take to get quick results.Happiness? There were several quick actions including holding a pencil in your mouth without letting your lips touch it (makes you grin). Another action suggested was a gratitude diary - he suggests just doing this for a week whenever you need a pick-up (not a long term project, unless you're so inclined). Suggested writing topics: Monday, Thanksgiving - find 3 things you're thankful for over the past week (can be big like a roof over your head or small like a great cup of coffee) and write them down; Tuesday, Terrific Times - choose one wonderful moment in your life and imagine yourself back then and write down how you felt then; Wednesday, Future Fantastic - imagine your life in the future, be realistic but positive and spend a few moments writing down how you feel; Thursday, Dear… - think about someone important in your life (partner, friend, family member) and write them a short letter telling them how much you care for them and the impact they'd had on your life; Friday, Review - think over the past week and make a note of 3 things that went really well for you from the trivial to the important. Other happiness advice - buy experiences (meals, concerts, theater, sailing, pole dancing lessons) rather than things. It really is better to give than receive. Persuasion - Job interviews have 3 major points: likeability is more important than experience or academic achievements; reveal weaknesses early in the interview and positive aspects later on; don't over-react to major mistakes. The Franklin Effect can help you be more persuasive - people like you more if they do a small favor for you. Also the occasional slip-up can enhance your likeability - it makes you seem more human.Motivation - Wiseman suggests a motivation journal for any type of change or behavior. To do this, answer 4 questions: 1 - What is your overall goal? Goal is to ….. 2 - Create a step-by-step plan. Break it into 5 (or fewer) smaller steps, each with rewards and timelines (My first subgoal is …. I believe I can achieve this because…. To achieve this I will…. by the following date…. My rewards will be…..) 3 - What are the benefits of achieving the overall goal? List 3 important benefits for your desired future. 4 - Going Public - Who are you going to tell about your goal and subgoals? Other motivation tips - The power of slow when eating helps you to eat less, but you must do it right. So eat normally at first, then slow down. Move tempting foods away - if possible, out of sight. Creativity - try a mental break of solving a crossword puzzle or wordsearch if you're stuck on a problem, then return to the problem. It can give you more creativity. Prime your creativity by thinking about artists and musicians or looking at abstract art. Lean forward and pull on the table at a meeting.Stress - spend a few moments thinking about how an event that was hurtful or made you angry had positive aspects or benefits - find something good that came out of it.Relationships - a relationship diary (much like the happiness diary) can also help deeper your relationships. Day 1 - spend 10 minutes writing about your deepest feelings about your current romantic relationship. Day 2 - think about someone who is in a relationship that is inferior to yours and write down 3 ways that yours is better. Day 3 - write down one important positive quality that your partner has and why this means so much to you. Write down a fault and list one way that it is redeeming or endearing.Decision-making - like creativity, distraction is key. Think about your decision, then distract yourself with a word puzzle or anagram, then go back to the decision. Regrets usually involve not doing something - so when in doubt (unless it's illegal or immoral) press on, adopt a 'will do' attitude. If you think you're being lied to, ask the person to email you with the information/answer - most people are less willing to lie in an email.Personality - there are plenty of personality tests but Wiseman talks about the Big 5 traits - Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These are not good or bad but rather points in a continuum that we all fall into. I liked this and found it full of useful information that is easily put into practice.
What do You think about 59 Seconds: Think A Little, Change A Lot (2009)?
This is an easy and entertaining read with some useful tips and tricks to help yourself with things like feeling happier and making better decisions. Richard Wiseman, himself an academic in psychology, distills down the best of research into field like motivation, persuasion, attraction and relationships, parenting and creativity. At the end of each section, he provides you with a 59 second exercise that you can do to apply the research.Along the way he dispels a lot of things peddled in traditional self-help books that have been shown to not work (like how visualising yourself achieving an important goal doesn't actually help you achieve it, though it does make you feel better).I tried out one of the exercises for happiness and (notwithstanding that I am one data point, confirmation bias and that there's no non-intervention-control-group-me) it worked brilliantly for me. Trying out the anti-procrastination techniques will be the real test.
—henry
If you have read other books about habits and/or popularized behavioral psychology you feel right at home with this one. Most of the studies and stories are presented in other books as well, but this book combines them to a tight package. For some weird reason the author spends a lot of time explaining how finger lengths of index finger and ring finger and personality are linked. The whole section was too long, uninteresting and completely out of place in this book.
—Sadiemillington95
Finally a book accumulated scientific findings into an easily graspable book.
—allygonz
