The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success (2017) by Rolf Dobelli, Book Review

The Art of the Good Life: 52 Surprising Shortcuts to Happiness, Wealth, and Success (2017) by Rolf Dobelli

This is my second book from Dobelli. I enjoyed the first one, The Art of Thinking Clearly (2013), and since this is marketed as the follow-up book, I expected to have the same enjoyment with this one too (Here lie my many biases. Chief among them is the confirmation bias!). I do, most of the time. What the subtitle called shortcuts are actually Dobelli's "own collection of mental tools designed to build a good life" as he defines it. He derives these tools from classical antiquity to cutting-edge psychological research. As such, these are not original thoughts per se but packed briefly and simply for modern readers and aimed to be as practical as possible for the twenty-first century. The author, an economic philosopher, admits that "these fifty-two intellectual tools may not guarantee you a good life, but they'll give you a fighting chance." I like this kind of honesty.

Here are what I like about this book: 1) Each chapter consists of one main mental tool, with a clear definition or explanation and relatable examples. I think this is why Dobell is a good writer (it was originally written in the German language) because he can make complex concepts and academic journals accessible to common readers like me. Perhaps there are times when he oversimplified things and situations, but hey, these are just tools not laws; 2) I appreciate Dobelli's openness about his atheism and stoicism. This understanding helps me to see from his point of view and filtered through what I read with my own worldview; and 3) Notes at the end of this book are very useful if I want to explore each tool further. There are references and credits. By the way, I noticed that he loves to quote Warren Buffett, Charles Munger, Bertrand Russell, and Daniel Kahneman. Good thinkers.

Overall, I like it. Although, if you haven't read any book by Dobelli, I recommend you start with The Art of Thinking Clearly. That book will make you feel - and perhaps actually - smart. You may or may not read this one as a follow-up. I bought this at a massive discount bookstore. The normal price is expensive. So, borrow or find a secondhand one ☕#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheArtOfTheGoodLife #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Art of Thinking Clearly (2013) by Rolf Dobelli, 2nd Book Review

The Art of Thinking Clearly (2013) by Rolf Dobelli, 2^nd Book Review

I have read this book twice. The first was 4 years ago in 2016 (to read my first review, CLICK HERE). I love this book so much for three main reasons: 1) It’s about thinking; 2) I’m very interested in social psychology and decision-making; and 3) Each chapter is short, concise, and easy to read. It is about cognitive biases, namely, systematic errors in thinking that occur when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them and affects the decisions and judgments that they make. The bad news is that all of us - even the most self-aware people - cannot avoid all of these biases. But the good news is that we can begin to understand why we do what we do and by deliberate practice - we can make better (not perfect) choices. Dobelli outlines 99 cognitive biases, let me share the top 3 biases, in my opinion, that we always make in our day-to-day thinking:

#1 Confirmation Bias. It is the idea that people seek out information and data that confirms their pre-existing ideas. They tend to ignore contrary information. This can be a very dangerous cognitive bias in business and especially, religion. Let say you just started a business selling Faith Fleur hair serum because your friend says it’s an excellent and the best serum in Malaysia. You post some testimonial pictures on your social media and then a few hours later, you observe (due to the algorithm) that others in your circle of social media also sell the product with very positive testimonies. You thought, “This product is the best!” Is it the best? No. There are other products in the market. Faith Fleur hair serum is a popular, safe, and good product but not the very best there is. Your friend says it’s the best, you believe her, and so you interpret everything based on that existing belief or conviction. As you can see, if you apply that bias in religion, it can be misleading, even dangerous. “The confirmation bias,” writes Dobelli, “is the mother of all misconceptions.”

#2 Groupthink. It is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives. Let me give an example in a Christian setting: during a Bible Study on the Book of Romans, the leader expounds the Scripture and concludes that Calvinist doctrines of predestination and election are the most biblical and faithful to the Scripture. When you heard it, you’re skeptical and doubtful. You wanted to respond and ask questions but since almost everyone nodded in agreement, you keep silent. Not wanting you cause division, you suppressed your opinions, and say to yourself, “Oh well, since nobody disagree with him, maybe I’m wrong.” And you say “Amen” all the way. If you want to decide with your friends where to eat for supper (Malaysian culture ma), then subjecting yourself to groupthink is harmless. But when it involves ethics or morals (and eternal consequences), groupthink can be disastrous.   

#3 Halo Effect. Simply put: it is when one trait of a person or thing is used to make an overall judgment of that person or thing. It is also known as the "physical attractiveness stereotype" or the "what is beautiful is a 'good' principle." I love this example by Dobelli: “Dozens of studies have shown that we automatically regard good-looking people are more pleasant, honest, and intelligent. Attractive people also have it easier in their professional lives - and that has nothing to do with the myth of women ‘sleeping their way to the top.’ The effect can even be detected in schools, where teachers unconsciously give good-looking students better grades.” Men, do you accept Facebook friend requests by a stunningly beautiful girl right away even though you never knew her before? Woman, do you think all the BTS members are angels from heaven? (Okay, maybe not all men or women like that). We love to think that we are fair and just, not stereotyping and anti-racism, very kind, and ‘never judge a book by its cover’ but on a subconscious level, we do. We are irrational. Why do anime fans think that Son Goku is the good guy? Because when he died, he has a halo and angel’s wings. Oh, the halo effect dies hard.

I recommend this book for beginners and for those who want to get the big picture of cognitive biases or fallacies. If you want to study deeper, I recommend reading books by Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow (haven’t finished it, so no book review yet), Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan (use it as reference), Robert Cialdini’s Influence (my review, CLICK HERE), Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational & The Upside of Irrationality (my review, CLICK HERE), and Steven D. Levitt’s Think Like a Freak (my review, CLICK HERE). But before I finished, I’m fully aware of the controversy that Rolf Dobelli is accused of - or actually, showing that - plagiarizing other authors especially his once a good friend, Nassim Nicholas Taleb... I think it’s true.

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The Upside of Irrationality (2010) by Dan Ariely, A Book Review

The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home (2010)
by Dan Ariely

"Human beings are irrational," said the author. We thought (mostly unconscious) that we are objective, rational, and logical. We take pride in the ‘fact' that we make decisions based on reason. When we decide to invest our money, buy a home or books, choose restaurants for dinner, or pick a medical treatment, we usually assume that the choices we make are the right ones. Ariely observes, "We are all susceptible to a formidable array of decision biases. There are more of them than we realize, and they come to visit us more often than we like to admit." This book attempts to show us the many ways in which we act irrationally while thinking what we're doing makes perfect sense, and how this irrational behavior can actually be beneficial as long as we use it the right way.

You see, sometimes being irrational has its advantages (as the author keeps on emphasizing throughout the book). In our optimized world trying to make 100%, rational decisions all of the time seems tempting, and most people would probably adopt a robot-like decision-making ability in a heartbeat if they could. Ariely argues that this isn't the best solution, for much of what makes us irrational is also what makes us human and allows us to connect with one another. "Rather than strive for perfect rationality, we need to appreciate those imperfections that benefit us, recognize the ones we would like to overcome, and design the world around us in a way that takes advantage of our incredible abilities while overcoming some of our limitations," said Ariely.

In this book, he asked rational-vs-irrational-based questions such as: Why do large bonuses actually make us less productive? Why is revenge so important for us? Why there is such a big difference between what we 'think' will make us happy and what 'really' makes us happy? How to enjoy your work? Why do we overvalue what we make? Why 'my' ideas are better than 'yours' regardless of their quality and brilliance?  Why do we get used to things even though it is sometimes irrational to do so? Why does online dating fail? Why we shouldn't act on our negative feelings? Why do we respond to one person who needs help but not too many? And many more. Some questions are common sense, but sometimes we don't really know what's the thinking and motives behind those actions and responses. Here, Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioral economics, social scientist, answered these questions based on his (and partners') researches and experiments. These may sound technical and somewhat boring to some – but not so. If Ariely wrote it, he wrote it with clarity, easy to understand, and fun. It's not overrated if I say that this book is FUN to read.

I want to write a chapter by chapter summary of this book, but I found that a responder, Poonam @goodreads.com had done a great job doing it. So I would like to refer you to Poonam's review [CLICK HERE]. Dan Ariely's first book Predictably Irrational (2008) was a success but I haven't read it. I bet it is as good as this one. I plan to read The Honest Truth About Dishonesty (2012) on the subject of lying in the near future. If you like Malcolm Gladwell's or Adam Grant's books, you will surely like Dan Ariely's… Perhaps you'll love Ariely more. Like I do.  

[P.S: If you want to have a ‘taste’ of Dan Ariely, watch him on YouTube and TED Talks videos.]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.