Think Like a Freak

Another valuable contribution to the ever-growing corpus of work on behavioural economics/psychology. Beyond the eye-catching title, the contention of this work is how to develop the appropriate toolkit to reach decisions/conclusions similar to those outlined in the authors' most famous work, Freakonomics. Perhaps the best counsel is provided by George Bernard Shaw early in the work: “Few people think more than two or three times a year... I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.” Put another way, we should all try and think, not just more, but also more intelligently. The point made by the authors about asking the “right” questions is a crucial one. So is their observation about being willing to admit mistakes and to see no shame in quitting. Levitt and Dubner write in a self-deprecating, humorous and illuminating way, demystifying (similar to Gladwell et al) some of life's apparently greater complexities. Not rated.

By Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner