30 Must-Read Books for Psychologists

Small, subtle interventions can influence people’s decisions without restricting their freedom of choice.

Nudges can be used to promote desirable behaviors, such as saving for retirement or eating healthier foods.

Examples

System 1: Driving a car on a familiar route, making a snap judgment about someone’s trustworthiness.

System 2: Solving a complex math problem, making a major financial decision.

Cognitive Bias: Someone who is afraid of flying might overestimate the likelihood of a plane crash because they can easily recall recent news stories about plane crashes.

Prospect Theory: A person might be more reluctant to sell a stock that has lost value than to sell a stock that has gained value, even if the potential gain or loss is the same.

Anchoring Effect: A real estate agent might anchor the price of a house at a high value, which can influence potential buyers’ perceptions of its worth.

Nudge: A government might send out reminders to citizens about the importance of saving for retirement, which can encourage them to contribute more to their retirement accounts.

Best Quotes

«In the end, it is not the magnitude of our knowledge but the depth of our wisdom that will shape our decisions.»

«System 1 is like an impulsive child who acts without thinking, while System 2 is like a cautious adult who weighs the pros and cons.»

«Humans are an anomaly in the animal kingdom. We have the capacity to think about our thinking.»

«Our ability to construct reality is stronger than our ability to discover reality.»

Criticism

Some critics argue that Kahneman oversimplifies the complexity of human decision-making.

Others question the generalizability of his findings across different cultures and contexts.

The book has been criticized for focusing too much on individual biases and not enough on the role of social and environmental factors in decision-making.

Influence

Nobel Prize: Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 for his work on behavioral economics.

Popularization of Behavioral Economics: The book has helped popularize the field of behavioral economics, which integrates insights from psychology into economic models.

Applications in Policymaking: nudge theory has been adopted by governments and organizations to design policies that encourage desirable behaviors.

Interesting Facts

The book was translated into over 40 languages.

It has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

Kahneman conducted many of his famous experiments while working as a psychologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

WORDLIST:

without conscious effort – без сознательных усилий

heuristics – эвристика

mental shortcuts – ментальные ярлыки

biases – предубеждения

slow and deliberate – медленное и обдуманное

underlying facts – лежащие в основе факты

cognitive biases – когнитивные искажения

confirmation bias – склонность к подтверждению

interpret information – интерпретировать информацию

availability heuristic – эвристика доступности

gains and losses – выигрыши и потери

nudge theory – теория подталкивания

subtle interventions – тонкие вмешательства

without restricting their freedom of choice – не ограничивая их свободу выбора

trustworthiness – надежность

snap judgment – мгновенное суждение

reluctant – нерешительный

importance of saving for retirement – важность сбережений на пенсию

magnitude – величина

cautious adult who weighs the pros and cons – осторожный взрослый, который взвешивает все «за» и «против»

complexity – сложность

which integrates insights from psychology into economic models – которая интегрирует идеи из психологии в экономические модели

applications in policymaking – применение в политике