Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
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Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 985 ratings
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Like the best-selling Blink and Freakonomics, this lively narrative is a fresh view of the world, explaining the previously inexplicable and revealing hidden influences on human decision-making.

A Harvard Business School student pays over $200 for a $20 bill. Washington, D.C., commuters ignore a free subway concert by a violin prodigy. A veteran airline pilot attempts to take off without control-tower clearance and collides with another plane on the runway. Why do we do the wildly irrational things we sometimes do?

Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics, and organizational behavior, brothers Ori and Rom Brafman reveal the dynamic forces that act on us repeatedly over time, affecting nearly every aspect of our personal and business lives. They show how we are sabotaged by loss aversion (going to great lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (ignoring evidence that contradicts our initial take on a person or situation), and commitment (even when a plan isn't working, we are reluctant to change course).

Weaving together colorful stories about dot-com millionaires, game-show audiences, NBA coaches, and the U.S. Supreme Court, this audiobook tours the flip side of reason and points us toward a more rational life.

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    4 hours and 52 minutes
  2. Author
    Rom Brafman, see all
  3. Narrator
    John Apicella
  4. Audible release date
    June 17, 2008
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B001BACYQ6
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 52 minutes
Author Rom Brafman, Ori Brafman
Narrator John Apicella
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 17, 2008
Publisher HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B001BACYQ6
Best Sellers Rank #96,654 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#259 in Popular Culture Studies
#1,342 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
985 global ratings
Be aware of the ways that you might be influenced
4 Stars
Be aware of the ways that you might be influenced
"The more we become aware of the factors affecting the perceived value of a person or object, the less likely we are to be swayed by value attribution."Train yourself to be aware of the ways that you might be influenced.
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Top reviews from the United States

Dave English
5.0 out of 5 stars Pull me, Push me
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2008
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This is a smoothly written, enjoyable quick read that covers a really interesting subject. We all think we make rational, reasonable choices. But we all know of times that when we look back now we wonder if we really picked the right door, or maybe if 'psychological' reasons somehow pushed or pulled us towards an imperfect choice. This book is one of many neat books that takes solid research published in the growing fields of behavioural economics and social psychology, and then makes a readable whole out of them. There are riptides we feel underneath the waves we see. Not Freud or Jung psychobabble, but reliable biases and mental shortcuts that work for us most of the time. This book is about the times when they work against us.

Cool stuff: Great examples bring the ideas to life. (Hearing a master play a Stradivarius on the NY subway, the academic reaction to the Piltdown man, a surprising secret in an Israeli army leadership training course. On and on.) No need for any prior psychology knowledge. Clearly lets the reader understand the non-intuitive principles involved. Includes recent research findings in a story driven format. Not bogged down by intellectual showing off or long digressions. There are references at the back for those who want to read the original research.

What it is not: This ain't a definitive textbook. It is not new ground (but rather an overview of the field in a readable form). It doesn't get into details or any depth of why we behave in these ways, or how the behaviours may be connected. But that's OK, as long as you know you are buying a great general read not a graduate-level treatment.

The book finds new veins of gold in the mine of psychological research that has already produced Robert Cialdini's `Influence,' Scott Plous's `The Psychology of Judgement and Decision Making,' and other cool books like `Nudge,' or ` Freakanomics.' An fascinating worthwhile read.
38 people found this helpful
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Bill Dahl
4.0 out of 5 stars Scrumptious!
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2009
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SWAY - The Irresistable Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori and Rom Brafman - Doubleday Copyright (c) 2008.

In my opinion, an socio-economic, social-psychological classic. This volume is jam-packed with keen insights about human behavior. Irrational tendencies endure like mold - they grow in the damp darkness of our existence. Ori and Rom Brafman turn the light switch on and examine the realities that are inhabiting the recesses of human perception, judgment and value-attribution. As they point out:

Once we attribute a certain value to a person or thing, it dramatically alters our perceptions of subsequent information. This power of value attribution is so potent that it affects us even when the value is assigned completely arbitrarily." (p. 55)

They go on to illuminate what they refer to as the "diagnosis bias" or:

"our propensity to label people, ideas or things based on our initial opinions of them -- and our inability to reconsider those judgments once we've made them. (p.70).

This work blends into the new thinking that appears to be oozing from the field of macroeconomics from sources like Shiller and Akerlof, as well as the work of Nassim Nicholas Taleb. As the Brafman's write:

"It's all about keeping valuations tentative instead of certain, learning to be comfortable with complex, sometimes contradictory information, and taking your time considering things from different angles before coming to a conclusion." (p.178)

A superb contribution - providing encouragement to those charged with expanding the boundaries of what we think we know -- and the appreciation we must resurrect for exploring the frontiers of the unknown.
7 people found this helpful
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Julie Neal
5.0 out of 5 stars A self-help book hiding within a scientific treatise
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2008
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What a great read! Well organized and smartly written, this exploration of the reasons behind irrational behavior is a real page turner. Oddly, reading it makes you feel good, as learning the reasons why people behave illogically makes you feel more in control.

Another surprise: Even though this book is based on scientific thought, it is an easy and quick read. Witty and clear, it's filled with interesting, real-life examples of behavior, such as how Steve Spurrier's unusual style of coaching college football drives his competitors mad. (I should know: I went to FSU!)

Apparently we're wired to act in irrational ways. Our brains are so averse to loss that we avoid it at all costs. People pay stupid amounts to rental-car companies for unnecessary "loss damage" protection. The head of safety at an airline takes off in a 747 without proper tower clearance, ignoring his own safety protocol, crashing and killing everyone aboard. Why? He didn't want to lose his reputation for always being on time.

Once we recognize why our brains are setting us up for failure, we can consciously make other, smarter, choices. Sway takes much of the mystery out of irrational behavior.

Here's the chapter list:

1. Anatomy of an Accident
2. The Swamp of Commitment
3. The Hobbit and the Missing Link
4. Michael Jordan and the First-Date Interview
5. The Bipolar Epidemic and the Chameleon Effect
6. In France, the Sun Revolves Around the Earth
7. Compensation and Cocaine
8. Dissenting Justice

For a companion read I'd recommend another new book,  The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives.
7 people found this helpful
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George Carey
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and encouraging
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023
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Rom and Ori bring us an informed perspective on our behavior, provoking additional thought about our motives and actions. A worthwhile read for those seeking reasons for otherwise unexplainable thought patterns in ourselves and others.
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Top reviews from other countries

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David Kynan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on persuasion
Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2021
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I just read it for the second time and wish the authors had more books on the topic. It sums up important principles of influence and decisions through specific examples and stories and makes some points that I haven’t seen emphasized in other books on the topic. Fun read and fairly short!
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B A
5.0 out of 5 stars Important bok on human behavior
Reviewed in India on October 7, 2022
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This book outlines important truths about human nature and is a must read for anyone. It has helped me identify flaws in my own thinking and reduce errors caused by them.
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Mateus
1.0 out of 5 stars no new info
Reviewed in Brazil on November 10, 2015
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Don't think you will find any new and useful information here , In fact the most part of the book is written in nonsense language
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Philokypros Andreou
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for everyone who wants to survive in today's challenging and brutal world!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2010
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Reading this book you will be able to unlock the way irrational people think & act, as well as the reasons why they do it. Therefore you can easily predict their reactions and you can be prepared for what to expect. After reading this book, I feel there are no more irrational behaviours and people, as I've learned the way to look into explaining why the behave in such a way. As a result, I have saved myself and our Company from many perils and turned them into successes, including of making profit from the unexpected!!! Ever since, I have bought literally dozens of copies of this book, giving them to my middle & top management at work and beloved ones, so as they can solve the mistery called "irrational behaviour and irrational people". To conclude, I consider this book one of the handful of books I highly recommend as the best "survival kit" for today's challenging and brutal world!!!
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tetsuya morikawa
3.0 out of 5 stars いとも簡単に振れてしまう判断....
Reviewed in Japan on September 28, 2008
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Swayとは人間の意識の中に潜み合理的な行動を妨げる隠れた力のことで、一部を紹介すると本書では以下のような概念を興味深い例示で説明している。
Loss aversion(損失に対して過剰反応をし、これを回避する為に合理的には想定できないようなことをしでかす)
・ KLMの安全責任者であった機長が時間の遅れを取り戻そうと飛行機の離陸時のルール無視して引き起こした狂気の沙汰とも言える大惨事
・ 損失を確定せずに、いつか相場が反転すると期待して損切りできない投資家の心理
・ 20ドル紙幣のオークションに204ドル迄値が競り上がってしまう不思議
Ｖalue attribution(客観的なデータにも基かず直感をベースに物事を判断する)
・ 世界的なバイオリン奏者が地下鉄のホームでジーンズに野球帽といった格好でで演奏をしていても、誰も気に留めずに通り過ぎてしまう(奏者の身なり服装から有名な音楽家だとは誰も思わない→演奏している音楽のクオリティや技術も大したことないと判断してしまう)
・ 値段を上げたら急に商品が売れ出した(ものの価格を見て「高い＝高級品に違いない」と判断する)
・ 同じコンサートでも高い金を払って入場した人の方が満足度が高い
Ｄiagnosis bias (人、モノ、考え等に対して最初に下した判断に囚われ、後に、この先入観に反する客観的な情報が提供されても、従前の判断を変えることができない)
・ NBAバスケットボール選手の試合出場時間は当該選手がドラフト何位で指名されたかとの相関が圧倒的に強い(ドラフト順位が高ければ良い選手のはずという先入観が後々まで影響する)
・ 初めて会う人の性格等につき事前に知らされたイメージ(それが事実であろうが無かろうが)を払拭することができない
…..等々、興味深い例をもとに人間の判断がいかに非合理的な方向に振れるかを説明している。”Influence” (Robert Cialdini著)や”Predictably Irrational”(Dan Ariely著)と内容的に共通する部分が多い。
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