Think Like a Freak: Secrets of the Rogue Economist - Softcover

Levitt, Steven D.; Dubner, Stephen J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846147891 ISBN 13: 9781846147890

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2014

Synopsis

From the rule-breaking authors of international bestsellers Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, this is the ultimate guide to how to Think Like a Freak

The Freakonomics books have come to stand for something: challenging conventional wisdom; using data rather than emotion to answer questions; and learning to unravel the world's secret codes. Now Levitt and Dubner have gathered up what they have learned and turned it into a readable and practical toolkit for thinking differently - thinking, that is, like a Freak. Whether you are interested in the best way to improve your odds in penalty kicks, or in major global reforms, here is a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems.

Along the way, you'll learn how the techniques of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion can help you, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria, and why Van Halen's demanding tour contract banning brown M&Ms was really a safety measure. You'll learn why sometimes it's best to put away your moral compass, and smarter to think like a child. You will be given a master class in incentives-because for better or worse, incentives rule our world. And you will learn to quit before you fail, because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.

Levitt and Dubner see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing-and so much fun to read.

Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, was awarded the John Bates Clark medal, given to the most influential American economist under the age of forty. He is also a founder of The Greatest Good, which applies Freakonomics-style thinking to business and philanthropy.

Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author, journalist, and radio and TV personality. He quit his first career-as an almost-rock-star-to become a writer. He has worked for The New York Times and published three non-Freakonomics books. He lives with his family in New York City.

About this title

Review:

"Good ideas... expressed with panache."--Financial Times

"An interesting and thought-provoking read."--The Horn

"Many wonderful moments. ... Utterly captivating."--Malcolm Gladwell, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Blink", "The Tipping Point", and "David and Goliath"

"Compelling and fun."--New York Post

"This book will change your life."--Daily Express (London)

"Their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally --- to think, that is, like a Freak."--Bookreporter.com

"Utterly captivating."--Malcolm Gladwell, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Blink," "The Tipping Point," and "David and Goliath"

"Over nine entertaining chapters [Levitt and Dubner] demonstrate how not to fall into hackneyed approaches to solving problems and concretely illustrate how to reframe questions."--New York Daily News

Utterly captivating. --Malcolm Gladwell, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Blink," "The Tipping Point," and "David and Goliath""

Over nine entertaining chapters [Levitt and Dubner] demonstrate how not to fall into hackneyed approaches to solving problems and concretely illustrate how to reframe questions. --New York Daily News"

From the Back Cover:

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally--to think, that is, like a Freak.

Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.

Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:

• First, put away your moral compass--because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it.
• Learn to say "I don't know"--for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.
• Think like a child--because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.
• Take a master class in incentives--because for better or worse, incentives rule our world.
• Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuaded--because being right is rarely enough to carry the day.
• Learn to appreciate the upside of quitting--because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing--and so much fun to read.

About this edition

• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1846147891
• ISBN 13: 9781846147890
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288