Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave - Hardcover

Alter, Adam

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594204543 ISBN 13: 9781594204548

Publisher: Penguin Pr, 2013

Synopsis

An illuminating look at the way the thoughts we have and the decisions we make are influenced by forces that aren't always in our controlWhy are people named Kim, Kelly, and Ken more likely to donate to Hurricane Katrina victims than to Hurricane Rita victims? Are you really more likely to solve puzzles if you watch a light bulb illuminate? How did installing blue lights along a Japanese railway line halt rising crime and suicide rates? Can decorating your walls with the right artwork make you more honest? The human brain is fantastically complex, having engineered space travel and liberated nuclear energy, so it's no wonder that we resist the idea that we're deeply influenced by our surroundings. As profound as they are, these effects are almost impossible to detect both as they're occurring and in hindsight. "Drunk Tank Pink "is the first detailed exploration of how our environment shapes what we think, how we feel, and the ways we behave.The world is populated with words and images that prompt unexpected, unconscious decisions. We are so deeply attracted to our own initials that we give more willingly to the victims of hurricanes that match our initials: Kims and Kens donate more generously to Hurricane Katrina victims, whereas Rons and Rachels give more openly to Hurricane Rita victims. Meanwhile, an illuminated light bulb inspires creative thinking because it symbolizes insight.Social interactions have similar effects, as professional cyclists pedal faster when people are watching. Teachers who took tea from the break room at Newcastle University contributed 300 percent more to a cash box when a picture of two eyes hung on the wall. We're evolutionarily sensitive to human surveillance, so we behave more virtuously even if we're only watched by a photograph. The physical environment, from locations to colors, also guides our hand in unseen ways. Dimly lit interiors metaphorically imply no one's watching and encourage dishonesty and theft, while blue lights disco

About this title

Review:

"Reading Adam Alter's book will change the way you look at our world." --Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational

" A smart and delightful introduction to some of psychology's most curious phenomena and most colourful characters." --Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness

"I guarantee you'll want to share the incredible anecdotes in Drunk Tank Pink with friends." --Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein

‘one of the best... clearly written and easy to understand’ Evening Standard

‘A fantastic introduction to the wealth of weird and wonderful psychology research out there’ BBC Focus "The best science book I've read all year... really provocative." Malcolm Gladwell

Review:

"Adam Alter has collected the most wonderfully strange and surprising nuggest of recent psychological research in one book. I guarantee you'll want to share the incredible anecdotes in Drunk Tank Pink with friends." 

(Joshua Foer - author of Moonwalking with Einstein)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Pr
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1594204543
• ISBN 13: 9781594204548
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 261