Professor Richard Wiseman offers many quick and practical ways to improve your life gleaned from today's cutting edge-science, and in the process gives a psychologist's myth-busting response to the self-help movement.
Whether you're looking to be more decisive in your life, to find a new job, or simply to be happier, the chances are that this book has the answers you need. For years, the self-help industry has failed the public, often promoting exercises that destroy motivation, ruin relationships, increase anxiety and reduce creativity. Here, psychologist Richard Wiseman exposes these modern-day mind myths and presents a fresh approach to change that helps people achieve their aims and ambitions in minutes not months. From mood to memory, persuasion to procrastination, resilience to relationships, Wiseman outlines the research supporting this new science of rapid change and describes how these quirky techniques can be incorporated into everyday life.
• Find out why putting a pencil between your teeth instantly makes you feel happier
• Discover why even thinking about going to the gym can help you keep in shape
• Learn how putting just one thing in your wallet will improve the chance of it being returned if lost
• Discover why writing down your goals is more effective than visualizing them
• Find out why retail therapy doesn't work to improve mood and what does Introduction
Self-help exposed, Sophie's question, and the potential for rapid change
Happiness
Why positive thinking often fails and how the real route to happiness involves a pencil, keeping the perfect diary, small acts of kindness, and developing the gratitude attitude
Persuasion
Why rewards fail, how to give the flawless interview, improve your social life by making mistakes, never lose your wallet again, and convince anyone of anything by using your pet frog
Motivation
The dark side of visualization, how to achieve absolutely anything by creating the ideal plan, overcoming procrastination, and employing "doublethink"
Creativity
Exploding the myth of brainstorming, how to get in touch with your inner Leonardo merely by glancing at modern art, lying down, and putting a plant on your desk
Attraction
Why you shouldn't play hard to get, how the subtle art of seduction involves the simplest of touches, roller-coaster rides, and avoiding artificial Christmas trees
Relationships
The perils of "active listening," why Velcro can help couples stick together, words speak louder than actions, and a single photograph can make all the difference
Stress
Why not to kick and scream, how to reduce resentment in seconds, harness the power of a four-legged friend, and think your way to low blood pressure
Decision making
Why two heads are no better than one, how never to regret a decision again, protect yourself against hidden persuaders, and tell when someone is lying to you
Parenting
The Mozart myth, how to choose the best name for a baby, instantly divine a child's destiny using just three marshmallows, and effectively praise young minds
Personality
Why not to trust graphology, how to gain an apparently magical insight into other people's personality from their fingers and thumbs, their pets, and the time they go to bed
Conclusion
Sophie's answer: Ten techniques in 59 seconds
