Highly reviewed social psychology books

Critically praised author Virginia Postrel distinguishes glamor from glitz in provocative depth in more than one hundred illustrations, exposing what attributes make a individual, something or an experience glamorous. Postrel describes the three basic elements of glamour and explains that they generate a distinctive atmosphere of reflection and yearning. The Power of Glamour was the very first book to describe that glamor is not just beauty and personal value, but a force that exposes our internal lives and influences our choices. Postrel believes that glamor is a seductive special power, from seasonal brochures to army recruitment advertising, from political utopias to action heroines. His influence reaches beyond the traditional realms of clothing and movies, shaping our decisions about what to wear, what to study, how to spend or vote. The outcome is a revelation that describes why glamor has become a strong means of nonverbal coercion, one that plays on our most hidden desires and yearnings to impact our everyday decisions.

The Social Animal is an acclaimed book that has been used for over 50 years in behavioral science lectures and a strong guide to the discipline to many students in the U.S. and around the world. This latest edition preserves the strong descriptive voice of Elliot Aronson, while incorporating the intellectual perspective of his brother, professor at the New York University, Joshua Aronson, his new co-author. The Social Animal, Twelfth Edition, has been extensively revised and updated to give additional perspectives into human social activity around a range of core subjects, including violence, loyalty, compliance, economics, race relations, marketing, peace, and emotional desire

Some of our wisest politicians, advocates, researchers, and thinkers believe that empathy’s biggest challenge is that we don’t have enough of it. Yale professor Paul Bloom claims that it’s not true. Bloom exposes empathy in AGAINST EMPATHY as one of society’s main motivators of injustice and immorality. Empathy is a capricious and unfounded feeling that appeals to our narrow interests, far from improving the lives of others. It confuses our decision and also leads to cruelty, paradoxically. Based on pioneering research studies, Bloom concludes that some of the worst decisions taken by individuals and nations are far too frequently guided by sincere yet distorted emotions. He illustrates with clarity and insight that compassion distorts our decision from philanthropy and welfare to the justice system in every part of our lives; from health treatment and schooling to childcare and marriage. Bloom believes that our choices will be simpler, fairer, and therefore more rational without empathy. AGAINST EMPATHY, beautifully argued, urgent and rational, tells us that restricting our tendency to empathy is always the most moral option we can make when it comes to big policy decisions and the choices we make in our daily lives.

New York columnist James Surowiecki discusses a deceptively basic theory with vast consequences in this endlessly interesting book: large masses of people are smarter than most leaders, no matter how clever they are to solve issues faster, promote creativity, make wise choices, and forecast the future. Surowiecki reaches through subjects as varied as culture, sociology, behavioral economy, artificial intelligence, military history and politics to illustrate the ways this concept apply in real life. Surowiecki introduces them in a beautifully entertaining manner, given the strength of his claims. The Wisdom of Crowds is a genius yet open biography of an idea, one with valuable lessons in living our lives, choosing our leaders, running our business, and talking about our environment.

Is progress really at fault in our world, are we doomed ? Social psychologist and public intellectual Steven Pinker encourages us to step away from the gory headlines and prophecies of destruction that reflect our emotional prejudice. Pinker reveals in seventy-five jaw-dropping charts that life, education, wealth, security, harmony, awareness, and satisfaction are growing, all around the world. This advancement was not the result of any divine energy. This is a legacy of the Enlightenment: the idea that science and knowledge in general had improved human wellbeing. The Enlightenment dream is struggling against the tides of authoritarianism, demonization, irrational thinking, all used by demagogues to manipulate the opinion. The consequence is a corrosive fatalism and a desire to destroy democracy and international cooperation. Enlightenment Now makes the case for logic, science, and humanism; values we need to pursue our global progress.