Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go?
Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar asks the difficult questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Sheena Iyengar's award-winning research reveals that the answers are surprising and profound. In our world of shifting political and cultural forces, technological revolution, and interconnected commerce, our decisions have far-reaching consequences. Use The Art of Choosing as your companion and guide for the many challenges ahead.
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"I really enjoyed reading this book, lots of good examples about choices affecting our lives and how we choose; it made me ponder a few of my own decisions in the past. I found a few examples surprising (i.e., too many options may not bring us happiness or satiety) and how culture differences also affect the way people think and choose. I think the best part of this book is learning how not to beat up on ourselves for making the wrong choice. The author explains some of the experiments that she's conducted in her quest for understanding how people make choices and why- it's an interesting read, extremely well written, and at times long winded to make her point, but still a good read."
— PL (4 out of 5 stars)
“Iyengar writes in a lucid, catchy style, very much in the Malcolm Gladwell vein of pop psychology–cum–social commentary, but with more rigor. The result is a delightful, astonishing take on the pitfalls of making up one's mind.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“No one asks better questions, or comes up with more intriguing answers.”
— Malcolm Gladwell“Sheena Iyengar's work on choice and how our minds deal with it has been groundbreaking, repeatedly surprising, and enormously important. She is someone we need to listen to.”
— Atul Gawande, author of Better and Complications“Orlagh Cassidy narrates with a scholarly, balanced sensibility that keeps the work appealing.”
— AudioFile Magazine" i stopped after the third chapter, found it less than inspiring.....actually more annoying. "
— Shifra, 2/13/2014" At times interesting, at times long-winded. If you want to learn about how we make decisions, this isn't a bad book to read, but you'll want to explore other options as well. "
— Nathan, 2/12/2014" So I am a sucker for Behavioural books. This is the original researcher who put out the jam jars for poeple to pick and 'discovered' fewer people buy when there is more choice. I think this is an great read for understanding our irrationalities better. Warning. If you are a regular reader of this topic (e.g. Predictably irrational etc) then you will find this repeats some of the same findings. But not a fatal flaw. Just read quickly :-) "
— Jb, 2/9/2014" Very interesting read. So much insight how our mind works and how me make the choices that we do. "
— Giju, 2/4/2014" A very informative book about how we choose. The author also talks about some of the ways we can do to improve our decision making. Over all, I enjoyed reading this book. It would be a better book, from my perspective, if the author can provide a more detailed summary at the end of each chapter. "
— Benson, 2/4/2014" "Quite fascinating to know how something as simple (ok maybe not simple always!!) as "choice" is influenced by so many factors" "
— Vipin, 1/8/2014" An awesome read, got to know about how a mind works apart from loads of knowledge from various fields. "
— Abhishek, 1/6/2014" It was very fascinating for the first 100 pages, but then became redundant. "
— Amanda, 12/18/2013" A little all over the place but I enjoyed reading the book. "
— Ravali, 11/17/2013" Interesting study of why we make the choices we do. If you enjoy Malcolm Gladwell's books, you will enjoy this one. "
— Cheryl, 11/13/2013" Interesting, but slow. Part of it may have been that I was listening to it on CD, which makes it hard to skim ahead. "
— Tara, 9/30/2013" Very interesting take on how and why we make the choices we do. "
— Eden, 8/22/2013" brilliant and intriguing book, enjoyed so much i reread it cover to cover. you will enjoy if you are interests in human nature or our just trying to understand how we make decisions "
— Wendy, 5/23/2013" Interesting and comprehensive exploration of choice in all the ways it presents itself. "
— Leah, 5/1/2013" Great book! Explains how and why we make choices. A real eye opener. "
— Eli, 10/19/2012" The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar is about how random events and external factors can influence one's choice. It took me awhile to finish this book. However, this book will change our perception on what we choose and why. "
— Nathik, 7/9/2012" This book may be interesting to someone that has never taken a basic psychology course, but I found it disappointing. I was looking for more depth and less pep talk. "
— Pat, 6/2/2012" One of the most thought-provoking books you'll come across. Prof. Iyengar has delivered a book that takes something as mindless as taken for granted as our ability to choose, and put it in a whole new light. This is one of those rare books that will leave you thinking long after you've put it down. "
— Cristobal, 4/11/2012" A very well reasoned and thoughtful book about choice. The author covers the trivial, the earth-shattering, and everything in between. Sometimes having choices makes up happier, sometimes it overwhelms us, and sometimes makes us completely stressed. Definitely food for thought. "
— Alice, 3/24/2012" I really enjoyed the voice of the reader and enjoyed the pychological topics discussed, but it was just too long and all encompassing to keep my attention. "
— Colleen, 2/16/2012" Really fascinating read on what drives our choices and how we can recognise them to make better choices "
— Jobest, 12/3/2011" Simple narration makes this book an easy ready. Author explains the conundrum on how we choose. Rather interesting to see the positive and negative effects of choosing. "
— Sriram, 10/1/2011" A rather fascinating look at how and why people make choices and what really influences them, from their background culture to their perceptions and biases. "
— Astrid, 6/9/2011" Great book revealing the surprising motivations and cultural aspects of choice. Well worth your consideration. "
— Michaela, 5/12/2011" A must read for anyone working with interactivity. "
— Nelson, 4/19/2011" I got about a quarter of the way through this, but the thing I didn't like was how some of the sections seemed a bit padded out - I wanted the author to get through some of the elementary points more quickly to get on to the interesting stuff. Maybe I'll pick this up again at some future date. "
— Richard, 4/9/2011" This book includes shocking yet revealing pieces of information that most people are unaware of when it comes to choosing! Makes you wonder how much control you have over the decision made in your life... "
— Hashim, 4/3/2011" Very interesting read. So much insight how our mind works and how me make the choices that we do. "
— Giju, 3/16/2011" I ended up wanting to be friends with Sheena Iyengar by the end of this book, or feeling that we were friends. Rare for a non-fiction book. "
— Jaime, 3/10/2011" One of the most thought-provoking books you'll come across. Prof. Iyengar has delivered a book that takes something as mindless as taken for granted as our ability to choose, and put it in a whole new light. This is one of those rare books that will leave you thinking long after you've put it down. "
— Cristobal, 3/5/2011" Interesting and comprehensive exploration of choice in all the ways it presents itself. "
— Princess, 2/4/2011" Simple narration makes this book an easy ready. Author explains the conundrum on how we choose. Rather interesting to see the positive and negative effects of choosing. "
— Sriram, 1/30/2011" An interesting, clearly-written book about how we choose and what our choices mean to us psychologically. Iyengar has a gift for explaining psychological research in engaging, approachable ways as she summarizes various studies and their implications. "
— Jennifer, 1/26/2011" A good book . It articulates well, the things that most of us must have noticed about choice- the cultural biases, the confusion caused by too many options. The 'feelings' that we have had about these things have been supported by Iyengar's studies "
— Shilpa, 1/9/2011Sheena Iyengar’s groundbreaking research on choice has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Security Education Program. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School of Business, and Stanford University. She is a professor at Columbia University and a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award. Her work is regularly cited in publications such as Time magazine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. She is the author of The Art of Choosing.
Orlagh Cassidy, an American actress of stage, television, and film, is an audiobook narrator who has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, as well as many AudioFile Earphones Awards. She is a graduate of SUNY at Purchase and a recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Scholarship. She has been seen on and off Broadway and in films, including Definitely Maybe and Calling It Quits. Her television credits include roles in Law & Order and Sex and the City and as Doris Wolfe on Guiding Light.