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Tâm lý học hài hước
Đã bao giờ bạn tự hỏi tại sao nhạc sĩ dở tệ luôn luôn giành chiến thắng trong cuộc thi Eurovision Song Contest, hoặc làm thế nào mà những chính trị gia không đủ năng lực lại được bầu?
Trong khi các nhà khoa học khác đi vào vấn đề hiển nhiên thì Richard Wiseman lại bận rộn khám phá những yếu tố bí mật của sự quyến rũ, khám phá tính cách con người được hình thành như thế nào khi chúng ta sinh ra và kiểm tra tại sao mọi người thường bỏ qua những dấu hiệu rõ ràng nhất của sự phản bội đối tác của mình. Sử dụng các phương pháp khoa học điều tra các chủ đề khác thường thu hút sự quan tâm của công chúng cũng như cộng đồng khoa học, Tâm lý học hài hước mang đến hiểu biết mới cho những phần chưa được khám phá của tâm trí con người và đưa chúng ta đến những nơi các nhà khoa học chính thống sợ bước đến. Cuốn sách có thể so sánh với Kinh tế học hài hước, nhưng mang tính dân túy và hài hước hơn rất nhiều.
Cuốn sách hàm chứa những nghiên cứu, thí nghiệm độc đáo, dị thường của những nhà khoa học tò mò nhất trên thế giới. Trong đó có rất nhiều điều chúng ta cũng thường xuyên tự hỏi mỗi ngày. Mỗi chương sách hé lộ một mảng tâm lí học bí mật nằm dưới những khía cạnh khác nhau trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, từ sự lừa dối cho đến việc ra quyết định, từ tính ích kỉ cho đến sự mê tín. Trong quá trình này, chúng ta sẽ bắt gặp một vài mảnh ghép ưa thích về sự kì lạ nhưng hấp dẫn.
Liệu tên của những đứa trẻ có ảnh hưởng tới cuộc đời của chúng hay không? Các thống kê xã hội đã cho thấy, những đứa trẻ có tên tiêu cực, thường xuyên nhận được cái nhìn tiêu cực từ bố mẹ, người xung quanh khi trưởng thành có tỷ lệ phạm tội cao hơn những đứa trẻ có tên tích cực và nhận được cái nhìn tích cực từ những người xung quanh.
Liệu số vụ tự tử có liên quan đến các bài báo, truyền hình về các vụ việc có liên quan đến tự tử không? Các thống kê xã hội đã cho thấy, trong hai tuần sau khi có một bài báo, thông tin truyền hình về một vụ tự tử, thì số lượng các vụ tự tử tăng cao đột biến, đặc biệt nếu các thông tin, bài báo đó mô tả cụ thể hình thức tự tử.
Đàn ông và phụ nữ có sự hài hước khác nhau trước các câu chuyện cười như thế nào? Các nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng, đàn ông thường cười trước những câu chuyện có những phụ nữ ngớ ngẩn và phụ nữ thích những câu chuyện cười có những gã đàn ông ngu ngốc.
Liệu có thật có người sinh ra đã may mắn, và nhiều người thì “xui tận mạng” suốt cuộc đời không? Liệu mọi người có thể thay đổi vận may của mình không? Các nghiên cứu cho thấy, bạn có thể thay đổi vận may của mình. Những người may mắn là những người luôn vui vẻ, năng động và biết tạo ra cơ hội cho chính mình. Ngược lại, những người kém may mắn là những người hay lo lắng, lúng túng, khép kín và không sẵn sàng đón nhận cơ hội đến với mình.
Mỗi chương của sách sẽ là một cánh cửa mở ra hàng loạt những nghiên cứu dị thường của những nhà khoa học tò mò, giúp cho lá cờ của ngành khoa học không chính thống này được tiếp tục tung bay cũng như mang đến cho độc giả những hiểu biết mới lạ về ngành khoa học đặc biệt, tính chất công việc của các nhà khoa học cũng như tự khám phá ra nhiều điều thú vị của cuộc sống quanh mình.
Trong khi các nhà khoa học khác đi vào vấn đề hiển nhiên thì Richard Wiseman lại bận rộn khám phá những yếu tố bí mật của sự quyến rũ, khám phá tính cách con người được hình thành như thế nào khi chúng ta sinh ra và kiểm tra tại sao mọi người thường bỏ qua những dấu hiệu rõ ràng nhất của sự phản bội đối tác của mình. Sử dụng các phương pháp khoa học điều tra các chủ đề khác thường thu hút sự quan tâm của công chúng cũng như cộng đồng khoa học, Tâm lý học hài hước mang đến hiểu biết mới cho những phần chưa được khám phá của tâm trí con người và đưa chúng ta đến những nơi các nhà khoa học chính thống sợ bước đến. Cuốn sách có thể so sánh với Kinh tế học hài hước, nhưng mang tính dân túy và hài hước hơn rất nhiều.
Cuốn sách hàm chứa những nghiên cứu, thí nghiệm độc đáo, dị thường của những nhà khoa học tò mò nhất trên thế giới. Trong đó có rất nhiều điều chúng ta cũng thường xuyên tự hỏi mỗi ngày. Mỗi chương sách hé lộ một mảng tâm lí học bí mật nằm dưới những khía cạnh khác nhau trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, từ sự lừa dối cho đến việc ra quyết định, từ tính ích kỉ cho đến sự mê tín. Trong quá trình này, chúng ta sẽ bắt gặp một vài mảnh ghép ưa thích về sự kì lạ nhưng hấp dẫn.
Liệu tên của những đứa trẻ có ảnh hưởng tới cuộc đời của chúng hay không? Các thống kê xã hội đã cho thấy, những đứa trẻ có tên tiêu cực, thường xuyên nhận được cái nhìn tiêu cực từ bố mẹ, người xung quanh khi trưởng thành có tỷ lệ phạm tội cao hơn những đứa trẻ có tên tích cực và nhận được cái nhìn tích cực từ những người xung quanh.
Liệu số vụ tự tử có liên quan đến các bài báo, truyền hình về các vụ việc có liên quan đến tự tử không? Các thống kê xã hội đã cho thấy, trong hai tuần sau khi có một bài báo, thông tin truyền hình về một vụ tự tử, thì số lượng các vụ tự tử tăng cao đột biến, đặc biệt nếu các thông tin, bài báo đó mô tả cụ thể hình thức tự tử.
Đàn ông và phụ nữ có sự hài hước khác nhau trước các câu chuyện cười như thế nào? Các nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng, đàn ông thường cười trước những câu chuyện có những phụ nữ ngớ ngẩn và phụ nữ thích những câu chuyện cười có những gã đàn ông ngu ngốc.
Liệu có thật có người sinh ra đã may mắn, và nhiều người thì “xui tận mạng” suốt cuộc đời không? Liệu mọi người có thể thay đổi vận may của mình không? Các nghiên cứu cho thấy, bạn có thể thay đổi vận may của mình. Những người may mắn là những người luôn vui vẻ, năng động và biết tạo ra cơ hội cho chính mình. Ngược lại, những người kém may mắn là những người hay lo lắng, lúng túng, khép kín và không sẵn sàng đón nhận cơ hội đến với mình.
Mỗi chương của sách sẽ là một cánh cửa mở ra hàng loạt những nghiên cứu dị thường của những nhà khoa học tò mò, giúp cho lá cờ của ngành khoa học không chính thống này được tiếp tục tung bay cũng như mang đến cho độc giả những hiểu biết mới lạ về ngành khoa học đặc biệt, tính chất công việc của các nhà khoa học cũng như tự khám phá ra nhiều điều thú vị của cuộc sống quanh mình.
296 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2007
358 people are currently reading
8628 people want to read
About the author
Richard Wiseman
53 books584 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician, and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a degree in psychology from University College London and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.
Richard currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, where he has gained an international reputation for research into psychology of luck, self-help, persuasion, and illusion. He has published over 50 papers in leading peer reviewed academic journals (including Nature and Psychological Bulletin), and his work has been cited in over 20 introductory textbooks.
A passionate advocate for science, his best-selling books have been translated into over 30 languages and he has presented keynote addresses at several organisations, including Microsoft, The Royal Society, Caltech, and Google.
Richard is the most followed British psychologist on Twitter, and has created viral videos that have received over 40 million views. Over 2 million people have taken part in his mass participation experiments and he has acted as a creative consultant to Derren Brown, The MythBusters, CBS’s The Mentalist, and Heston Blumenthal, Nick Cave, and the West End play ‘Ghost Stories’.
Richard is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, and a Fellow of the Rationalist Association. He is one of the most frequently quoted psychologists in the British media and was recently listed in the Independent On Sunday’s top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.
He likes sushi, is fond of dogs, and finds Arrested Development very funny.
Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician, and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a degree in psychology from University College London and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.
Richard currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, where he has gained an international reputation for research into psychology of luck, self-help, persuasion, and illusion. He has published over 50 papers in leading peer reviewed academic journals (including Nature and Psychological Bulletin), and his work has been cited in over 20 introductory textbooks.
A passionate advocate for science, his best-selling books have been translated into over 30 languages and he has presented keynote addresses at several organisations, including Microsoft, The Royal Society, Caltech, and Google.
Richard is the most followed British psychologist on Twitter, and has created viral videos that have received over 40 million views. Over 2 million people have taken part in his mass participation experiments and he has acted as a creative consultant to Derren Brown, The MythBusters, CBS’s The Mentalist, and Heston Blumenthal, Nick Cave, and the West End play ‘Ghost Stories’.
Richard is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, and a Fellow of the Rationalist Association. He is one of the most frequently quoted psychologists in the British media and was recently listed in the Independent On Sunday’s top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.
He likes sushi, is fond of dogs, and finds Arrested Development very funny.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 413 reviews
April 13, 2023
The idea sounded good: using scientific methods it would investigate unusual topics, it's aim being to explore such areas as the psychology of lying and undertaking quests such as that of identifying the world’s funniest joke. Most topics are offbeat and the methods of discovery are usually through observation or via the completion of questionnaires. Scientific? Well, sort of.
In truth, about half way through I started to wonder why I'd picked this one up – I hadn't found any life enhancing truths and I'd go as far as to say that most ‘discoveries’ felt little more than you'd deduce from exercising a little common sense. There was some interesting reminders as to how the mind works, but not much more.
Did the author discover the world’s funniest joke? Well I won't spoil it for future readers but I will say there's one or two contenders that did raise a smile. My personal favourite:
What’s brown and sticky?
A stick
The highlights for me were sections on how to spot a fake smile, the truth about female van drivers and why people born in summer are born lucky. It won't change your life but it might turn a few light bulbs on for you.
In truth, about half way through I started to wonder why I'd picked this one up – I hadn't found any life enhancing truths and I'd go as far as to say that most ‘discoveries’ felt little more than you'd deduce from exercising a little common sense. There was some interesting reminders as to how the mind works, but not much more.
Did the author discover the world’s funniest joke? Well I won't spoil it for future readers but I will say there's one or two contenders that did raise a smile. My personal favourite:
What’s brown and sticky?
A stick
The highlights for me were sections on how to spot a fake smile, the truth about female van drivers and why people born in summer are born lucky. It won't change your life but it might turn a few light bulbs on for you.
December 4, 2007
Definitely one of those books which promised more hilarity in the bookstore than it was able to deliver at home. I think Richard Wiseman Ph.D. would dearly love to have us believe that he is a brilliantly zany individual, but - truth be told - most of this material never rises above being mildly interesting, and the style is a closer approximation to 'dorky' than 'zany'.
A couple of chapters fail completely in my view - pretty much all of the material related to "what your birth date really says about you" is fluff. There's not much substance in the chapter on superstition and people's belief in the paranormal either. And surely people should have figured out by now that "explorations into the psychology of humor" are invariably notable only for their soporific, humorless quality, so including 50 pages on this topic was a decision with high albatross potential.
More successful were the chapters on how to tell if people are lying, decision-making (including how to write a personal ad that will succeed with men/women), and altruism.
A decidedly mixed bag. The author's decision to end his introduction with the sentence "Let the quirkology begin" could possibly have been considered adequate warning.
A couple of chapters fail completely in my view - pretty much all of the material related to "what your birth date really says about you" is fluff. There's not much substance in the chapter on superstition and people's belief in the paranormal either. And surely people should have figured out by now that "explorations into the psychology of humor" are invariably notable only for their soporific, humorless quality, so including 50 pages on this topic was a decision with high albatross potential.
More successful were the chapters on how to tell if people are lying, decision-making (including how to write a personal ad that will succeed with men/women), and altruism.
A decidedly mixed bag. The author's decision to end his introduction with the sentence "Let the quirkology begin" could possibly have been considered adequate warning.
March 10, 2009
Reading through the book, I came across a few notable errors- some very questionable conclusions in a study, basing a section on a "quote" from Freud that he never said, a statistic that the author admitted in the footnotes that he made up- and I couldn't help but wonder how many other errors the book contained that I didn't know enough to correct. While it was an entertaining read, that level of uncertainty left me feeling like I couldn't necessarily accept it as a fact, so it could only be entertainment to me.
July 13, 2016
Cuốn này, đích xác là nó có chứa những vấn đề mà mình quan tâm như Ngày sinh, Chiêm tinh học, rồi thì việc nói dối, tâm lý hay tính cách con người bla bla... Và những vấn đề đặt ra thì mới đầu đọc phần diễn giải lên thì nghe cũng vô cùng thú vị. Nhưng mà huhu, tâm lý học thì có nhưng chẳng thấy có hài hước gì. Đọc hoài đọc mãi mà không thấy có gì khởi sắc. Cho nó vô mục Sách-đọc-nửa-chừng-thì-tạm-dừng nhưng thực ra thì cũng đọc đến gần hết, chỉ còn mỗi phần cuối cùng với Lời cảm ơn là không đọc thôi, vì càng đi về cuối nó càng khô queo khô quèo như mái ngói lâu ngày không gặp mưa. Chưa kể trong này còn có một chương nói là "Tin người nhưng không phải tin những gì họ nói", thiệt là không biết có nên tin những gì tác giả nói trong đây không hahaha. Nói chung là chỉ có thông tin, thông tin và thông tin thôi. Dù sao thì cũng thấy thoải mái với cái khám phá về "tầm nhìn ngoại biên" khi đọc tới bức ảnh nàng Monalisa của Leonardo da Vinci với lại con người chúng ta thường là bị những Cung hoàng đạo "hù" cho sống-một-cuộc-sống-phải-là, tức là đọc chúng rồi sau đó thích quá mà hình thành nên những tính cách giống như những gì chúng ta đã đọc được, hehehe.
May 21, 2020
Fascinating, fun and, well, quirky!
October 19, 2009
The book covers psychological facts of everyday life. Although the book proves a bunch of common sense facts such a positive environment creates a positive mindset, there were couple of interesting factoids that I did not know before reading the book such as:
1)Certain people can will themselves to live longer by focusing on a goal with a deadline
2)It is easier to detect liars through the words they uses instead of non-verbal cues
a. Liars tend to provide less details and be vague and they try to distance themselves psychologically from their false statements so they have fewer statements about themselves/their feelings in their story line. They also tend to remember detailed facts.
b. A real smile can be told by a deeper wrinkle in their eyes. People who smile more are happier.
c. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is enigmatic because you do not know whether or not the woman in the painting is happy or not. If one looks at the mouth, the woman looks like she is unhappy but if one looks at the eyes it looks like she is genuinely happy.
3) People tend to believe in superstitions more in times of uncertainty because they want control in their lives. I guess this is the reason that religion is against superstitions because it supplants the belief in God.
4)Subliminal messages in TV do not work
5)Names can determine your fate
6)Your environment can influence the way you think
7)Presenting yourself well can make other people like you better
8)Getting the object of your affection heart rate up when meeting them can make them in loved with you. This happens in war situations or scary movies
9)Love at first sight happens when you are keyed into the object of your affection non-verbal cues of interest
10) Laughing is good for your health and well-being
11)Comedy and religious fundamentalism do not mix because great humor involves mixing elements that do not go together, threaten authority, contain sexually explicit scenes and laughing means a loss of self-control and self-discipline all antithetical to the principles of religious fundamentalism
12) TV anti-social programs have no effect in real world violence
13)People tend to help others more often if they are similar to themselves (related to kin altruism)
14) People have no problems stealing from an institution or a machine but do not steal from people they relate to.
15) Religious tend to be more altruistic
16) People who live in a fast pace city and increase population density tend to be less friendly and helpful because they suffer from sensory overload. People who experience sensory overload tend to prioritize what they need to focus on so they become goal-oriented and thus less friendly/helpful. Because, they are less friendly to others, they tend to become more isolated and lonlier
17)To combat the worlds trend of becoming a more isolated, creating a sense of community is important. One can create this sense by first initiating others to smaller acts of altruism followed by larger acts.
18) People become what other expect them to be
19) Lucky people tend to be lucky because they believe that they are luck and create opportunities for themselves
20)People born in warmer climates tend to be luckier than people born in colder climates because the weather forces people to be kept warm in colder climates thus less likely to explore
21)Astrology works because it engages in flattery and being vague
1)Certain people can will themselves to live longer by focusing on a goal with a deadline
2)It is easier to detect liars through the words they uses instead of non-verbal cues
a. Liars tend to provide less details and be vague and they try to distance themselves psychologically from their false statements so they have fewer statements about themselves/their feelings in their story line. They also tend to remember detailed facts.
b. A real smile can be told by a deeper wrinkle in their eyes. People who smile more are happier.
c. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is enigmatic because you do not know whether or not the woman in the painting is happy or not. If one looks at the mouth, the woman looks like she is unhappy but if one looks at the eyes it looks like she is genuinely happy.
3) People tend to believe in superstitions more in times of uncertainty because they want control in their lives. I guess this is the reason that religion is against superstitions because it supplants the belief in God.
4)Subliminal messages in TV do not work
5)Names can determine your fate
6)Your environment can influence the way you think
7)Presenting yourself well can make other people like you better
8)Getting the object of your affection heart rate up when meeting them can make them in loved with you. This happens in war situations or scary movies
9)Love at first sight happens when you are keyed into the object of your affection non-verbal cues of interest
10) Laughing is good for your health and well-being
11)Comedy and religious fundamentalism do not mix because great humor involves mixing elements that do not go together, threaten authority, contain sexually explicit scenes and laughing means a loss of self-control and self-discipline all antithetical to the principles of religious fundamentalism
12) TV anti-social programs have no effect in real world violence
13)People tend to help others more often if they are similar to themselves (related to kin altruism)
14) People have no problems stealing from an institution or a machine but do not steal from people they relate to.
15) Religious tend to be more altruistic
16) People who live in a fast pace city and increase population density tend to be less friendly and helpful because they suffer from sensory overload. People who experience sensory overload tend to prioritize what they need to focus on so they become goal-oriented and thus less friendly/helpful. Because, they are less friendly to others, they tend to become more isolated and lonlier
17)To combat the worlds trend of becoming a more isolated, creating a sense of community is important. One can create this sense by first initiating others to smaller acts of altruism followed by larger acts.
18) People become what other expect them to be
19) Lucky people tend to be lucky because they believe that they are luck and create opportunities for themselves
20)People born in warmer climates tend to be luckier than people born in colder climates because the weather forces people to be kept warm in colder climates thus less likely to explore
21)Astrology works because it engages in flattery and being vague
April 24, 2014
I think as a kid I might have liked this, however I don't think the book is aimed at children. To be honest, I'm not sure who should read this book - it is bad. BAD!
If Mr Wiseman spent more time researching fresh material and less time jumping to wild, baseless suppositions this might be a better book. How could it not be? One thing that annoyed me is his desperate need to prove how clever he is. Constant references to his kinship and associations with the world's greatest minds and how "Wiseman" is a very fitting name for such a smart one, if he does say so himself. We are constantly reminded about his PHD and the fact that he is a scientist - does it really need to be stated this often? At one point he visually likens himself to Sigmund Freud by having a photo taken on Freud's very own couch imitating the founder of modern psychology! I'm no psychologist, but me thinks someone is insecure...
Most of the stuff in this book could be written by anyone with a vague interest in the behaviour of people, which is nearly everyone who can read. In fact, most people would actually draw some conclusions or insight about mankind instead of proverbially jumping about the book like a manic first year psychology student on acid. I kid you not, at one point in the book he fills most of the chapter with jokes. The first couple were interesting as you think he's going to explain about reasoning behind the humour, but he goes on to list dozens of them and I could tell he was running out of "interesting" little nuggets to write about. He then makes some rather weak minded claim that all jokes are made because of the sense of superiority the joke teller feels when laughing at someone else. Professor Wiseman forgets that jokes generally paint a scene about a person or typecast that is iconic and known to everyone and this is the reason jokes seem to be targeting other people. It has to be this way so that the joke teller can relate an image to the listener. The only way around this would be to tell a joke about a person of non specific race or gender, who has a mean average IQ of 100, walking into a high street bar of a non specific town or city. The barman or woman or robot asks "Why the averagely long face Sir or Madam?" All jokes are about The wife, husband, celebrity, blonde girl, Irishman, solicitor or social workers etc etc. They have to be about somebody!
Also, Mr Not-so-wiseman seem to think it's odd that cause and effect relate to each other. Hmm. Numerous times throughout the book he states examples whereby people have been exposed to a certain stimulus, for example been forced to listen to prejudice religious and ethnic propaganda disguised as jokes about Jews, and then afterwards they are asked their opinion on Jewish people. Guess what? Those exposed to the propaganda are slightly affected by it. Wow. Also, did you know that Women tend to prefer jokes about things that interest them as opposed to things that interest men??? Mind = blown!
The fact that he is an iconic celebrity and that he looks like a stereotypical scientist is why the book sells and why people read it. Very disappointing. Avoid.
If Mr Wiseman spent more time researching fresh material and less time jumping to wild, baseless suppositions this might be a better book. How could it not be? One thing that annoyed me is his desperate need to prove how clever he is. Constant references to his kinship and associations with the world's greatest minds and how "Wiseman" is a very fitting name for such a smart one, if he does say so himself. We are constantly reminded about his PHD and the fact that he is a scientist - does it really need to be stated this often? At one point he visually likens himself to Sigmund Freud by having a photo taken on Freud's very own couch imitating the founder of modern psychology! I'm no psychologist, but me thinks someone is insecure...
Most of the stuff in this book could be written by anyone with a vague interest in the behaviour of people, which is nearly everyone who can read. In fact, most people would actually draw some conclusions or insight about mankind instead of proverbially jumping about the book like a manic first year psychology student on acid. I kid you not, at one point in the book he fills most of the chapter with jokes. The first couple were interesting as you think he's going to explain about reasoning behind the humour, but he goes on to list dozens of them and I could tell he was running out of "interesting" little nuggets to write about. He then makes some rather weak minded claim that all jokes are made because of the sense of superiority the joke teller feels when laughing at someone else. Professor Wiseman forgets that jokes generally paint a scene about a person or typecast that is iconic and known to everyone and this is the reason jokes seem to be targeting other people. It has to be this way so that the joke teller can relate an image to the listener. The only way around this would be to tell a joke about a person of non specific race or gender, who has a mean average IQ of 100, walking into a high street bar of a non specific town or city. The barman or woman or robot asks "Why the averagely long face Sir or Madam?" All jokes are about The wife, husband, celebrity, blonde girl, Irishman, solicitor or social workers etc etc. They have to be about somebody!
Also, Mr Not-so-wiseman seem to think it's odd that cause and effect relate to each other. Hmm. Numerous times throughout the book he states examples whereby people have been exposed to a certain stimulus, for example been forced to listen to prejudice religious and ethnic propaganda disguised as jokes about Jews, and then afterwards they are asked their opinion on Jewish people. Guess what? Those exposed to the propaganda are slightly affected by it. Wow. Also, did you know that Women tend to prefer jokes about things that interest them as opposed to things that interest men??? Mind = blown!
The fact that he is an iconic celebrity and that he looks like a stereotypical scientist is why the book sells and why people read it. Very disappointing. Avoid.
July 28, 2023
This was a fascinating book to listen to, regarding many psychological experiments carried out on unsuspecting persons, with the results analysed statistically. Some of the results might be considered predictable (such as people are more inclined to help people or groups with whom they identify), and some just off the wall (such as most inconsiderate drivers being FEMALES in white vans).
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but wish I had it in print, so I could go back to check on certain results that had piqued my interest. The problem with an audiobook is that you (definitely I) quickly forget one chapter, as the next (equally interesting) one starts.
I really appreciate good research using statistics. Too often, statistics are bandied about making claims designed to influence people’s attitudes/politics/life style etc without any information given in the method (if any) on how the statistics were gathered, the size of the survey, who was asked/observed, and (most importantly) if there was any potential bias, and how that was (or could be) ameliorated. This book considers and reports all these factors, so providing very believable if (sometimes) surprising results.
Highly recommended to all who are fascinated by human behaviour.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but wish I had it in print, so I could go back to check on certain results that had piqued my interest. The problem with an audiobook is that you (definitely I) quickly forget one chapter, as the next (equally interesting) one starts.
I really appreciate good research using statistics. Too often, statistics are bandied about making claims designed to influence people’s attitudes/politics/life style etc without any information given in the method (if any) on how the statistics were gathered, the size of the survey, who was asked/observed, and (most importantly) if there was any potential bias, and how that was (or could be) ameliorated. This book considers and reports all these factors, so providing very believable if (sometimes) surprising results.
Highly recommended to all who are fascinated by human behaviour.
March 19, 2016
Nhiều thông tin thú vị. Sách đọc khá hấp dẫn và có nhiều chỗ đáng suy ngẫm. Vừa hài hước vừa nghiêm túc. Mấy cái thí nghiệm hay và lạ quá trời. Giờ mới biết Milgram có mấy thí nghiệm khác ngoài thí nghiệm giật điện hay ho thế.
Phần "Xoá bỏ 'Nỗi sợ tiệc tùng'" cuối sách có thể được đánh dấu là tl;dr cho ai thích thức ăn nhanh. :))
Điểm trừ của sách là có vài ví dụ/vấn đề viết khá giống với quyển Influence đã rất nổi tiếng của tác giả Robert Cialdini. Mà trong quyển này tác giả cũng có nhắc đến quyển Influence mới ghê :))
Bản dịch có nhiều chỗ chưa ổn, cứ ngược ngạo, với lại không biết phải bản trên Alezaa bị đánh máy sai hay không, nhưng có vài đoạn rõ ràng là câu bị sai.
Phần "Xoá bỏ 'Nỗi sợ tiệc tùng'" cuối sách có thể được đánh dấu là tl;dr cho ai thích thức ăn nhanh. :))
Điểm trừ của sách là có vài ví dụ/vấn đề viết khá giống với quyển Influence đã rất nổi tiếng của tác giả Robert Cialdini. Mà trong quyển này tác giả cũng có nhắc đến quyển Influence mới ghê :))
Bản dịch có nhiều chỗ chưa ổn, cứ ngược ngạo, với lại không biết phải bản trên Alezaa bị đánh máy sai hay không, nhưng có vài đoạn rõ ràng là câu bị sai.
December 31, 2015
A fairly fun read, that tries to analyse a mish-mash of real-life quirky factoids, some common and some new, even if there were passages where the content was mostly fluff and the tone was very dry and with a patronising I'm-smarter-than-thou feel to it. Maybe it felt more of a letdown because my brain somehow equated the title Quirkology to quirky + fun, and while the content did have the scope for it, the writing didn't match my slightly misguided expectations.
January 19, 2018
phải nói rằng đây là cuốn sách tâm lý đầu tiên tôi đọc và cảm thấy cực kì thích thú, đúng như những gì tôi đã tưởng tượng và thích trước đó, dù chưa tìm hiểu gì cả. trải qua từng chương, tôi xin được note lại những cái kết từ cuốn sách mà ra:
C1. CHIÊM TINH, CÓ TIN KO?
1. tốt nhất là đừng có tin vào các nhà chiêm tinh, các thí nghiệm đã rõ
2. đọc các phần bói toán dành cho bạn sau khi chọn lựa (thuòng thấy trong các mẩu báo nhỏ), thấy nó thật sự chung chung và luôn đúng, vì đơn giản, nó chung chung.
3. cẩn thận với "hiệu ứng xu nịnh", ai cũng thích được nghe lời tích cực.
4. ánh sáng ban ngày ảnh hưởng đến đồng hồ sinh học rất nhiều
5. người may mắn, thật ra là những người khôn ngoan, biết tìm cách, biết xoay sở,
6. Hiệu ứng BIRG, người ta xu hướng đưa mình về những điều thắng lợi, dễ nhớ (thay đổi ngày sinh, tuổi tác)
C2. SỰ LỪA DỐI
1. ngôn ngữ dối trá, người nói dối thường cung cấp ít thông tin, ít nói về bản thân,
2. nói dối để phát hiện thì lắng nghe sẽ tốt hơn là quan sát
3. Tìm ra nụ cưới bí ẩn của Mona Lisa, nụ cười giả tạo và nụ cười chân thành, do các cơ mặt thay đổi
4. hãy cười chân thành, điều đó làm cho bạn có cuộc sống hạnh phúc hơn, sống lâu hơn 😃
5. Những kí ức dễ bị uốn nắn từ người ngoài. Điều tưởng chừng ko có trong quá khứ, chỉ qua vài câu nói gợi mở, đã nói là có trong quá khứ
6. ám thị, trò ma quái, lừa tiền người khác từ những kẻ đánh vào niềm tin người khác. ví dụ về cái lắc tay có từ trường gì ko..
C3. MÊ TÍN
1. những sự kiện gắn với số 13
2. năm Bính Ngọ , số 4 và người Châu Á
3. thí nghiệm con mèo đen buóc qua mặt là xui, thật ra là do suy nghị ám thị
4. nghiên cứu điện giật của Milgram, tính lan truyền.
5. nghiên cứu gửi bưu phẩm cho bạn thân, rồi sao cho cho đúng 1 người, xem thế giới thu nhỏ hơn, người may mắn biết nắm bắt cơ hội hơn.
6. đi trên than, những con người mê tín dị đoan.
7. nghiên cứu về sóng hạ âm, có thể gây ra những điều dị thường
C4. TÍNH QUYẾT ĐỊNH
1. tiềm thức, có ảnh hưởng tới quyết định của bản thân? ko hẳn
2. cái tên, nhiều vấn đề, từ tên ít gặp có hại hay lợi..
3. chiều cao, ảnh hưởng từ cách nhìn nhận đến đánh giá chủ quan
4. khuôn mặt, rất dễ bị đánh giá, nhìn mặt mà bắt hình dong, quả ko sai
5. coi bộ cũng dạy cách tán tỉnh luôn :))
C5. HÀI HƯỚC
1. Những nghiên cứu đáng trân trọng về "truyện cười"
2. tìm ra người tổn thương não Phải thường ít hiểu chuyện hài hước
3. lí do tại sao lại lồng tiếng cười vào trong clip hài
4. người đọc sách về tôn giáo nhiều thường giảm sự hài hước
5. câu chuyện hài gây cười nhất trong LaughLab về 2 thợ săn.. nhưng câu chuyện cười hài hước nhất, ko có. do mỗi người có sự tư duy khác nhau.
C6. GIÚP ĐỠ HAY TRỞ NGẠI?
1. ai có thể lên thiên đàng? chính người tự đánh giá.
2. bạn sẽ lấy tiền thừa quá dư (do người bán hàng tính sai) từ siêu thị hay từ quầy bán đổ ăn vỉa hè?
3. các thí nghiệm về sự tương đồng: biểu tình Nixon, dừng xe với decal khác quốc gia, khi trùng ngày sinh với kẻ hung ác (tu sĩ Nga)
4. pp thả phong bì , 1 nghiên cứu tuyệt vời từ Milgram.
5. tôn giáo và lòng vị tha, lời nói có đi đôi với hành động?
6. nhịp sống càng nhanh, con người càng ít giúp đỡ nhau, "có lẽ vì ko mu6ón bỏ tgian cho việc ko quan trọng với họ"
7. muốn người khác chấp nhận quy tắc nào đó, hãy nhớ nghiên cứu "biển báo trong vườn"
Thể đấy, 10 ngày bỏ ra đọc, chỉ 270 trang nhưng rất thấm, rất bổ ích,1 lượng lớn thông tin đưa vào đầu, quá hứng khởi :D
Tin tôi đi, hãy đọc cuốn sách này và nghiền ngẫm nó chậm rãi thôi, sẽ có nhiều điều hay ho đó :)
C1. CHIÊM TINH, CÓ TIN KO?
1. tốt nhất là đừng có tin vào các nhà chiêm tinh, các thí nghiệm đã rõ
2. đọc các phần bói toán dành cho bạn sau khi chọn lựa (thuòng thấy trong các mẩu báo nhỏ), thấy nó thật sự chung chung và luôn đúng, vì đơn giản, nó chung chung.
3. cẩn thận với "hiệu ứng xu nịnh", ai cũng thích được nghe lời tích cực.
4. ánh sáng ban ngày ảnh hưởng đến đồng hồ sinh học rất nhiều
5. người may mắn, thật ra là những người khôn ngoan, biết tìm cách, biết xoay sở,
6. Hiệu ứng BIRG, người ta xu hướng đưa mình về những điều thắng lợi, dễ nhớ (thay đổi ngày sinh, tuổi tác)
C2. SỰ LỪA DỐI
1. ngôn ngữ dối trá, người nói dối thường cung cấp ít thông tin, ít nói về bản thân,
2. nói dối để phát hiện thì lắng nghe sẽ tốt hơn là quan sát
3. Tìm ra nụ cưới bí ẩn của Mona Lisa, nụ cười giả tạo và nụ cười chân thành, do các cơ mặt thay đổi
4. hãy cười chân thành, điều đó làm cho bạn có cuộc sống hạnh phúc hơn, sống lâu hơn 😃
5. Những kí ức dễ bị uốn nắn từ người ngoài. Điều tưởng chừng ko có trong quá khứ, chỉ qua vài câu nói gợi mở, đã nói là có trong quá khứ
6. ám thị, trò ma quái, lừa tiền người khác từ những kẻ đánh vào niềm tin người khác. ví dụ về cái lắc tay có từ trường gì ko..
C3. MÊ TÍN
1. những sự kiện gắn với số 13
2. năm Bính Ngọ , số 4 và người Châu Á
3. thí nghiệm con mèo đen buóc qua mặt là xui, thật ra là do suy nghị ám thị
4. nghiên cứu điện giật của Milgram, tính lan truyền.
5. nghiên cứu gửi bưu phẩm cho bạn thân, rồi sao cho cho đúng 1 người, xem thế giới thu nhỏ hơn, người may mắn biết nắm bắt cơ hội hơn.
6. đi trên than, những con người mê tín dị đoan.
7. nghiên cứu về sóng hạ âm, có thể gây ra những điều dị thường
C4. TÍNH QUYẾT ĐỊNH
1. tiềm thức, có ảnh hưởng tới quyết định của bản thân? ko hẳn
2. cái tên, nhiều vấn đề, từ tên ít gặp có hại hay lợi..
3. chiều cao, ảnh hưởng từ cách nhìn nhận đến đánh giá chủ quan
4. khuôn mặt, rất dễ bị đánh giá, nhìn mặt mà bắt hình dong, quả ko sai
5. coi bộ cũng dạy cách tán tỉnh luôn :))
C5. HÀI HƯỚC
1. Những nghiên cứu đáng trân trọng về "truyện cười"
2. tìm ra người tổn thương não Phải thường ít hiểu chuyện hài hước
3. lí do tại sao lại lồng tiếng cười vào trong clip hài
4. người đọc sách về tôn giáo nhiều thường giảm sự hài hước
5. câu chuyện hài gây cười nhất trong LaughLab về 2 thợ săn.. nhưng câu chuyện cười hài hước nhất, ko có. do mỗi người có sự tư duy khác nhau.
C6. GIÚP ĐỠ HAY TRỞ NGẠI?
1. ai có thể lên thiên đàng? chính người tự đánh giá.
2. bạn sẽ lấy tiền thừa quá dư (do người bán hàng tính sai) từ siêu thị hay từ quầy bán đổ ăn vỉa hè?
3. các thí nghiệm về sự tương đồng: biểu tình Nixon, dừng xe với decal khác quốc gia, khi trùng ngày sinh với kẻ hung ác (tu sĩ Nga)
4. pp thả phong bì , 1 nghiên cứu tuyệt vời từ Milgram.
5. tôn giáo và lòng vị tha, lời nói có đi đôi với hành động?
6. nhịp sống càng nhanh, con người càng ít giúp đỡ nhau, "có lẽ vì ko mu6ón bỏ tgian cho việc ko quan trọng với họ"
7. muốn người khác chấp nhận quy tắc nào đó, hãy nhớ nghiên cứu "biển báo trong vườn"
Thể đấy, 10 ngày bỏ ra đọc, chỉ 270 trang nhưng rất thấm, rất bổ ích,1 lượng lớn thông tin đưa vào đầu, quá hứng khởi :D
Tin tôi đi, hãy đọc cuốn sách này và nghiền ngẫm nó chậm rãi thôi, sẽ có nhiều điều hay ho đó :)
December 16, 2023
Καλό στο σύνολο, με αρκετές ενδιαφέρουσες στιγμές.
(Αγαπημένα μου σημεία, τα πορίσματα για τις γυναίκες που οδηγούν φορτηγάκι 🚚🚒🚛🛻😂)
3/5
(Αγαπημένα μου σημεία, τα πορίσματα για τις γυναίκες που οδηγούν φορτηγάκι 🚚🚒🚛🛻😂)
3/5
January 5, 2010
This is a great book. Granted it is a tremendous bubble burster, it's like the day your learned there was no Santa Claus. Wiseman debunks all my favorite myths. The hardest myth to fall was astrology. Thank goodness I have such strong rationalization skills! I was able to rationalize that his great hate of astrology stemmed from Virgo impotence! I am really enjoying it!
November 26, 2016
Теме, заявленной в русской версии названия, посвящено не очень много страниц книги.
Эта книга больше о странности людей и попытках её измерить, чем о лжи и обмане.
Забавная вещица, прочитал с удовольствием и улыбкой. Кстати, и об улыбке Моны Лизы, и о страданиях последователей Вертера, и о радостях жизни комиков в книге тоже много интересного.
Эта книга больше о странности людей и попытках её измерить, чем о лжи и обмане.
Забавная вещица, прочитал с удовольствием и улыбкой. Кстати, и об улыбке Моны Лизы, и о страданиях последователей Вертера, и о радостях жизни комиков в книге тоже много интересного.
March 18, 2010
A very fun read! This book is sort of repetitive of a lot of other pop psychology books. Nevertheless, a few of the chapters are quite unique: "The World's Funniest Joke" was quite entertaining.
February 19, 2025
cuốn này đọc xong khán phá được thêm nhiều kiến thức về tâm lí thú vị ghê. Các nhà khoa học làm đủ mọi thí nghiệm kì lạ hề hước trong đây chỉ để chứng minh cho khá nhiều luận điểm tâm lí học xã hội mà đa phần đều đúng hết. Nhờ đọc xong mà đã tiếp thu thêm được kha khá kiến thức mới lạ luôn. Đọc mà cứ ước gì mình được mời về làm thí nghiệm cho tác giả chắc vui phết á 🤣
Điểm trừ duy nhất đó là tác giả chưa bao quát hết được mọi đất nước trên thế giới. Đa số những kết luận ông rút ra từ các thí nghiệm đều là ở các nước Châu Âu, đa số đều là người da trắng với nền văn hoá và tôn giáo khá khác biệt so với Châu Á mình, nên mình cảm thấy kết quả ông đưa ra thật sự chưa đúng lắm, bản thân mình là người Á nên rất mong xem ông làm thí nghiệm và đưa ra kết quả liên quan như thế nào nhưng hầu như không có, nên cảm giác chưa hài lòng lắm!
Nói chung đọc ok, khá nhiều cái hay mình note lại, sẽ update thêm quote hay hôm sau 👌
Điểm trừ duy nhất đó là tác giả chưa bao quát hết được mọi đất nước trên thế giới. Đa số những kết luận ông rút ra từ các thí nghiệm đều là ở các nước Châu Âu, đa số đều là người da trắng với nền văn hoá và tôn giáo khá khác biệt so với Châu Á mình, nên mình cảm thấy kết quả ông đưa ra thật sự chưa đúng lắm, bản thân mình là người Á nên rất mong xem ông làm thí nghiệm và đưa ra kết quả liên quan như thế nào nhưng hầu như không có, nên cảm giác chưa hài lòng lắm!
Nói chung đọc ok, khá nhiều cái hay mình note lại, sẽ update thêm quote hay hôm sau 👌
December 25, 2021
本書提到的心理學設計的實驗頗多，一時難以消化。而我印象最深的，應該是「什麼樣的笑話才算好笑」這部分，有許多文化上的差異許多不同文化與身份特質上的差異。正如這兩天剛看完的記錄片所提到的，過去美國影視中出現的 Nerd 通常都扮演「搞笑的丑角」，作為強壯開朗的主角的襯托——然而那些功課好、不擅社交的宅男們，卻一點也看不出什麼趣味來。
February 9, 2013
Quirkology is a collection of apparently ‘quirky’ scientific experiments into social psychology. It covers a wide area of life, from luck, to humour, to deception. Some are very interesting – I particularly enjoyed the ‘world’s best joke’ section (who doesn’t love a good giggle?) and the parts about superstitions and ghostly apparitions. There were factoids that I have repeated already and I’m sure I will again. There were, however, other parts I either skimmed or skipped entirely. That, I am sure, is pretty much down to personal preferences and interests.
Throughout all the chapters, there are a great many experiments, both Wiseman’s and his peers’, which are explained and discussed. ‘Explained and discussed’ might be a little generous actually. It was more like they were brushed over and regurgitated in quick succession, with little or no discussion attached at all. The topics changed quickly and there seemed to be either no real conclusion or too firm a conclusion based on little evaluation.
Fair enough, I guess, since I imagine that a book like this could easily become bogged down and boring. And like I said, it was amusing enough in parts and there genuinely were plenty of ‘huh, that’s interesting’ moments. There were sly drops of humour too – like the mistyped ‘untestable’ within the Freudian Slip section. I just couldn’t help feeling like I wanted something with a little more…depth, I suppose.
I was infuriated, too, by ‘The Big Secret Experiment’ section on p.272, purporting that the book and its readers are all part of one big experiment and that you can take part or find the results of the experiment at www.quirkology.com. The website merely re-directed me to Wiseman’s blog/promotional page and I could find no research results anywhere. A shame, because I would have enjoyed reading it, I’m sure. Now I am merely put out.
Books are not just about the content though - even non-fiction books. The way it reads is just as important and here, the narrative is dry, dry, dry. I know, I know, it’s science and science, by its very nature, is dry, cold and methodical…blah blah blah. But when writing pop-science and trying to engage an audience that doesn’t want to read scientific journals, perhaps one should add just a touch of flourish and emotion to one’s writing.
Wiseman tries too hard to be ‘fun and funky’. His definition of ‘quirky’ is almost definitely only quirky within the world of science and seems pretty much mainstream elsewhere. Moreover, his need to be liked and thought of as ‘fun’, well-connected (talk about name-dropping!) and an integral part of popular culture is much more evident than his intelligence, which, although apparent, is hidden behind a thinly disguised veil of craving and social insecurity.
It’s a shame, because he is obviously a clever man (if a little arrogant – what was that ‘wise-man’ Wiseman crack about?) who wants to share his love of science with the world.
The trouble is, he doesn’t seem all that excited about his experiments. Not in the way that I would expect any scientist (or indeed person) to be about discoveries within their field of work. In fact, in some instances he comes across as almost bored, unattached and uncaring. I know – he’s a scientist, he can’t help it, but if the author himself can’t rouse a bit of emotion about that which he writes, do the readers have any chance at all?
Throughout all the chapters, there are a great many experiments, both Wiseman’s and his peers’, which are explained and discussed. ‘Explained and discussed’ might be a little generous actually. It was more like they were brushed over and regurgitated in quick succession, with little or no discussion attached at all. The topics changed quickly and there seemed to be either no real conclusion or too firm a conclusion based on little evaluation.
Fair enough, I guess, since I imagine that a book like this could easily become bogged down and boring. And like I said, it was amusing enough in parts and there genuinely were plenty of ‘huh, that’s interesting’ moments. There were sly drops of humour too – like the mistyped ‘untestable’ within the Freudian Slip section. I just couldn’t help feeling like I wanted something with a little more…depth, I suppose.
I was infuriated, too, by ‘The Big Secret Experiment’ section on p.272, purporting that the book and its readers are all part of one big experiment and that you can take part or find the results of the experiment at www.quirkology.com. The website merely re-directed me to Wiseman’s blog/promotional page and I could find no research results anywhere. A shame, because I would have enjoyed reading it, I’m sure. Now I am merely put out.
Books are not just about the content though - even non-fiction books. The way it reads is just as important and here, the narrative is dry, dry, dry. I know, I know, it’s science and science, by its very nature, is dry, cold and methodical…blah blah blah. But when writing pop-science and trying to engage an audience that doesn’t want to read scientific journals, perhaps one should add just a touch of flourish and emotion to one’s writing.
Wiseman tries too hard to be ‘fun and funky’. His definition of ‘quirky’ is almost definitely only quirky within the world of science and seems pretty much mainstream elsewhere. Moreover, his need to be liked and thought of as ‘fun’, well-connected (talk about name-dropping!) and an integral part of popular culture is much more evident than his intelligence, which, although apparent, is hidden behind a thinly disguised veil of craving and social insecurity.
It’s a shame, because he is obviously a clever man (if a little arrogant – what was that ‘wise-man’ Wiseman crack about?) who wants to share his love of science with the world.
The trouble is, he doesn’t seem all that excited about his experiments. Not in the way that I would expect any scientist (or indeed person) to be about discoveries within their field of work. In fact, in some instances he comes across as almost bored, unattached and uncaring. I know – he’s a scientist, he can’t help it, but if the author himself can’t rouse a bit of emotion about that which he writes, do the readers have any chance at all?
February 12, 2010
My brief March 2008 five star review:
I guess I just like quirky things about human behavior. I really enjoyed this book. Worth reading, several times.
What was I thinking? I did read this a second time and although it was interesting, I was disappointed.
The Q test described in the beginning was still fascinating; even though I don’t take it seriously. It’s still fun, and I’m surprised that didn’t make it into his final chapter on quirky dinner conversations.
The chapter on deception was still worth reading again. I applied the lie detector test on something a known prevaricator wrote and it was surprisingly predictive. I suspect it wouldn't work in all cases though, and I definitely think Wiseman oversold it, as he oversold most of the experimental conclusions in the book.
By chapter 6 I began to see that many of the experiments he had described were not examples of good science (if there is such a thing in the social sciences), but examples of the things Wiseman wanted to propagate. By the end of the book, it was apparent that entertainment and not understanding was the goal of this book. I’m not sure he really cared how shaky the science was for these quirky conclusions about human behavior. As long as it was quirky, he described it with the utmost praise.
I think it would have been a more interesting and even more entertaining if he actually directed a knowledgeable critique of at least some of the studies. He praises Milgram and Zimbardo, but I’ve read things about both of their designs that should have been mentioned if for no other reason than giving the reader a taste of how interesting and controversial disputes in the social sciences are.
There are other quirky studies he describes that show his own biases, or at least his gullibility and lack of skepticism toward results he likes. It’s ironic to see a leader in the skeptical community become so credulous when he finds any experiment that confirms his world view. It just shows how strong our biases are.
But it wasn’t just the biased studies. He also left some important information out of his joke chapter that would have been extremely entertaining and fascinating. Christopher Hitchens wrote about it in 2007, the inherent difference between men and women with respect to humor. I don’t know why Wiseman didn’t mention it. Maybe he didn’t agree with the conclusions.
By the end of the book he came off as a gullible social scientist that swallowed practically anything done by his colleagues if it was interesting and quirky and he liked it. It was Wiseman the entertaining magician, not Wiseman the skeptic who wrote this book.
I guess I just like quirky things about human behavior. I really enjoyed this book. Worth reading, several times.
What was I thinking? I did read this a second time and although it was interesting, I was disappointed.
The Q test described in the beginning was still fascinating; even though I don’t take it seriously. It’s still fun, and I’m surprised that didn’t make it into his final chapter on quirky dinner conversations.
The chapter on deception was still worth reading again. I applied the lie detector test on something a known prevaricator wrote and it was surprisingly predictive. I suspect it wouldn't work in all cases though, and I definitely think Wiseman oversold it, as he oversold most of the experimental conclusions in the book.
By chapter 6 I began to see that many of the experiments he had described were not examples of good science (if there is such a thing in the social sciences), but examples of the things Wiseman wanted to propagate. By the end of the book, it was apparent that entertainment and not understanding was the goal of this book. I’m not sure he really cared how shaky the science was for these quirky conclusions about human behavior. As long as it was quirky, he described it with the utmost praise.
I think it would have been a more interesting and even more entertaining if he actually directed a knowledgeable critique of at least some of the studies. He praises Milgram and Zimbardo, but I’ve read things about both of their designs that should have been mentioned if for no other reason than giving the reader a taste of how interesting and controversial disputes in the social sciences are.
There are other quirky studies he describes that show his own biases, or at least his gullibility and lack of skepticism toward results he likes. It’s ironic to see a leader in the skeptical community become so credulous when he finds any experiment that confirms his world view. It just shows how strong our biases are.
But it wasn’t just the biased studies. He also left some important information out of his joke chapter that would have been extremely entertaining and fascinating. Christopher Hitchens wrote about it in 2007, the inherent difference between men and women with respect to humor. I don’t know why Wiseman didn’t mention it. Maybe he didn’t agree with the conclusions.
By the end of the book he came off as a gullible social scientist that swallowed practically anything done by his colleagues if it was interesting and quirky and he liked it. It was Wiseman the entertaining magician, not Wiseman the skeptic who wrote this book.
September 10, 2016
I'm torn over rating this book. I have rated it 4 stars for doing what it says on the tin, not because it was a 4 star worthy reading experience for me personally, but because it would be unfair of me to hold this book to a standard it doesn't claim to adhere to. Ideally I would've given it 3.5 stars, and here's the more detailed breakdown:
As other reviewers have mentioned, some of the research in this book is a bit iffy, and the methods used are questionable. Wiseman announces the conclusions of some of the small scale quirky studies in terms of sweeping generalisations and not enough detail is given to back up some of his claims.
However, this IS a work of pop psychology, and not a research paper. Citations refer you to all the original articles if you want to go into the research critically. This book on its own offers tasters and quirky factoids and focuses on entertainment more than the academic side of things - which it never claimed to do anyway. What it DOES claim to do is give you plenty to discuss over dinner, and it does fulfil that goal.
As a psychology student I already had general ideas on a lot of the research mentioned in the book. But based purely on entertainment value, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in psychology, particularly if they are not yet very knowledgable in the field.
As other reviewers have mentioned, some of the research in this book is a bit iffy, and the methods used are questionable. Wiseman announces the conclusions of some of the small scale quirky studies in terms of sweeping generalisations and not enough detail is given to back up some of his claims.
However, this IS a work of pop psychology, and not a research paper. Citations refer you to all the original articles if you want to go into the research critically. This book on its own offers tasters and quirky factoids and focuses on entertainment more than the academic side of things - which it never claimed to do anyway. What it DOES claim to do is give you plenty to discuss over dinner, and it does fulfil that goal.
As a psychology student I already had general ideas on a lot of the research mentioned in the book. But based purely on entertainment value, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in psychology, particularly if they are not yet very knowledgable in the field.
February 14, 2010
This is one of the better collections of pop-science books filling shelves at the moment, largely down to Richard Wiseman's obvious love of the work and direct involvement in some of the studies.
There are a number of retreads of studies that you'll have come across if you've read any other pop-psychology (Milgram etc.) but it's full of interested factoids you immediately want to tell your friends, and a great way to learn of the methods and fallacies in psychology.
The search for the world's funniest joke is probably the highlight. The Worldwide eradication of FTSE-itis is also very clever, taking full self-knowing advantage of the psychology that fills some of the book.
There are a number of retreads of studies that you'll have come across if you've read any other pop-psychology (Milgram etc.) but it's full of interested factoids you immediately want to tell your friends, and a great way to learn of the methods and fallacies in psychology.
The search for the world's funniest joke is probably the highlight. The Worldwide eradication of FTSE-itis is also very clever, taking full self-knowing advantage of the psychology that fills some of the book.
December 14, 2015
Συχνά διασκεδαστικό, κάποιες στιγμές λίγο βαρετό, σίγουρα ένα βιβλίο για να περάσει κάποιος μερικές ενδιαφέρουσες ώρες. Όσοι έχουν εντρυφήσει σε θέματα ψυχολογίας πιθανώς να μην βρουν εδώ κάτι καινούριο, όμως και τα ήδη γνωστά παρουσιάζονται με ένα ιδιαίτερο, περιπαικτικό τρόπο (που σε μερικούς μάλιστα δεν αρέσει, από ότι βλέπω στις κριτικές). Οι πιο άσχετοι μπορεί να εντυπωσιαστούν με κάποιες από τις διαπιστώσεις του συγγραφέα. Παρόλο που ανήκω στην πρώτη κατηγορία, θα το κρατήσω στη βιβλιοθήκη μου για την τέρψη που μου προσφέρουν ιδίως κάποια σημεία.
December 17, 2017
Nobel attempt to explain many human behaviours by painstakingly conducting experiments on unsuspecting public. And that’s what made the book so great for me as these sort of experiments are done by all of us individually all the time, because we need to know the odds for our survival.
Very engaging book.
Very engaging book.
November 12, 2012
The author is someone who lets his curiosity get the better of him, and we all benefit. It deals with the kind of question I hoped to learn to answer when I majored in social psychology some, erm, not so few years ago. I think it would make a fine introductory text. And it is indeed a good read.
April 3, 2024
Quirkology, by behavioural psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman, is a book that aims to provide a lighthearted yet in-depth look at the serious science behind unusual experiments.
However, I felt that this book leans a bit too far towards the ‘quirky’ part of its title, and Wiseman, in his attempt to be both witty and informative, manages to do neither consistently. Wiseman simplifies the scientific discoveries he discusses into single-line factoids, and spends more time talking about unusual moments in his research than the research itself. Then, there’s the attempts at humour. Evidently, Wiseman wants this book to be more enjoyable than the typically dry textbooks and academic papers, but his eagerness to do so results in a lot of very dull jokes. This was particularly bad when he related his study into the world’s funniest joke (a study which even he’s forced to admit didn’t really prove anything, as humour is heavily dependent on the situation and audience), which he crams with forced gags which are as funny, and as welcome, as an audience member yelling one-liners between acts at a comedy show.
That's not to say Wiseman is a bad author, though. His explanation of the science behind human behaviour, though disappointingly brief, is intriguing and easily understandable, and his passion for the subject matter is clear to see. When he focuses on studying the experiments and explaining their results, like he does in the chapters on the physiology of lying and the role of infrasound and suggestion in superstitions, he does a decent job of getting his points across in everyday terms.
To sum up, Quirkology is about as close to average as anything I've seen so far. Its good points aren't frequent or stunning enough to be amazing, and its failings aren't outrageously bad, either. If Wiseman had stopped trying to be funny, and realised that we bought (or borrowed) this book because we wanted to learn about the science of human behaviour, this could have been a pretty good popular science book. As it is, though, it’s the sort of book that I struggle to review, since I don’t really have any feelings about it either way. It’s not good enough to recommend or read again, nor is it bad enough to debate or mock. It’s just a book that manages to say a lot, but didn’t leave me remembering much.
2.5/5
However, I felt that this book leans a bit too far towards the ‘quirky’ part of its title, and Wiseman, in his attempt to be both witty and informative, manages to do neither consistently. Wiseman simplifies the scientific discoveries he discusses into single-line factoids, and spends more time talking about unusual moments in his research than the research itself. Then, there’s the attempts at humour. Evidently, Wiseman wants this book to be more enjoyable than the typically dry textbooks and academic papers, but his eagerness to do so results in a lot of very dull jokes. This was particularly bad when he related his study into the world’s funniest joke (a study which even he’s forced to admit didn’t really prove anything, as humour is heavily dependent on the situation and audience), which he crams with forced gags which are as funny, and as welcome, as an audience member yelling one-liners between acts at a comedy show.
That's not to say Wiseman is a bad author, though. His explanation of the science behind human behaviour, though disappointingly brief, is intriguing and easily understandable, and his passion for the subject matter is clear to see. When he focuses on studying the experiments and explaining their results, like he does in the chapters on the physiology of lying and the role of infrasound and suggestion in superstitions, he does a decent job of getting his points across in everyday terms.
To sum up, Quirkology is about as close to average as anything I've seen so far. Its good points aren't frequent or stunning enough to be amazing, and its failings aren't outrageously bad, either. If Wiseman had stopped trying to be funny, and realised that we bought (or borrowed) this book because we wanted to learn about the science of human behaviour, this could have been a pretty good popular science book. As it is, though, it’s the sort of book that I struggle to review, since I don’t really have any feelings about it either way. It’s not good enough to recommend or read again, nor is it bad enough to debate or mock. It’s just a book that manages to say a lot, but didn’t leave me remembering much.
2.5/5
April 16, 2020
Mình cảm giác từ "khác thường" sẽ đúng hơn từ hài hước. Bởi cuốn sách này trình bày các thí nghiệm rất độc đáo để kiểm nghiệm các giả định tâm lý con người và mối quan hệ nguyên nhân, kết quả của các yếu tố bên ngoài đến hành vi của con người.
Vừa hay đang đọc cuốn "How to lie with statistics" nên đọc cuốn này mình khá kỹ về cách thực hiện thí nghiệm. Nhưng những thí nghiệm trong này được trình bày cụ thế và loại bỏ những yếu tố ngẫu nhiên. Hơn thế, thí nghiệm nào không đủ xác đáng thì tác giả sẽ thể hiện ngay.
Nói chung cuốn sách khá dễ đọc và thú vị.
Sau 3-4 năm vì nhân duyên mà vô tùng tìm đọc lại và hoàn thành được cuốn sách này.
Vừa hay đang đọc cuốn "How to lie with statistics" nên đọc cuốn này mình khá kỹ về cách thực hiện thí nghiệm. Nhưng những thí nghiệm trong này được trình bày cụ thế và loại bỏ những yếu tố ngẫu nhiên. Hơn thế, thí nghiệm nào không đủ xác đáng thì tác giả sẽ thể hiện ngay.
Nói chung cuốn sách khá dễ đọc và thú vị.
Sau 3-4 năm vì nhân duyên mà vô tùng tìm đọc lại và hoàn thành được cuốn sách này.
September 27, 2021
For those who like behavioral psychology this is the book for you. I had been in a reading slump for the longest time but I just happened to pick this book up in a library one day and haven’t been able to put it down! To say it’s intriguing is an understatement, it’s shared so many studies on human behaviors and patterns that would seemingly go unnoticed but these psychologist seem to ask the questions no one else does.
It goes into depth in how and why there are human traits that are more preferable to have but can also prove to a facade in masking who they really are. In a sense almost everyone is aspiring to be that quirky person everyone likes.
It goes into depth in how and why there are human traits that are more preferable to have but can also prove to a facade in masking who they really are. In a sense almost everyone is aspiring to be that quirky person everyone likes.
April 25, 2025
A fascinating and droll look at unusual research on quirky things. Some highlights:
• Why people are so bad at detecting lies (and why people who listen to lies are better at detecting them than those who read them).
• Large organ pipes can create infrasound (low-frequency sound) that has various physical effects on people, such as shivers and odd body tension, that may account for “allegedly sacred experiences”.
• If your initials spell out something positive (“ace”, “joy”) you’ll live on average 3-4.5 years longer than those whose initials spell out something negative.
• You’re more likely to contribute to the campaign of a politician whose last name starts with the same initial as yours. Similarly, people are drawn to occupations related to their names.
• The more country music is played on the radio, the higher the suicide rate (because it details negative life experiences such as unrequired love, alcohol abuse, hopelessness, and poverty).
• Why people are so bad at detecting lies (and why people who listen to lies are better at detecting them than those who read them).
• Large organ pipes can create infrasound (low-frequency sound) that has various physical effects on people, such as shivers and odd body tension, that may account for “allegedly sacred experiences”.
• If your initials spell out something positive (“ace”, “joy”) you’ll live on average 3-4.5 years longer than those whose initials spell out something negative.
• You’re more likely to contribute to the campaign of a politician whose last name starts with the same initial as yours. Similarly, people are drawn to occupations related to their names.
• The more country music is played on the radio, the higher the suicide rate (because it details negative life experiences such as unrequired love, alcohol abuse, hopelessness, and poverty).
February 19, 2019
A solid first book on the subject, but a bit basic: it stops to define words like "introverted" and "extroverted", for example. There are also a number of issues where it describes as controversial research that has, to my knowledge, been generally discredited (holiday-related deaths and name acronyms). Those things aside, it was fun and readable.
December 24, 2022
4.25/5: Certainly very interesting and contains good conversation starters! I was surprised at how many large scale psychology experiments went on to the unsuspecting public, I will definitely try to be more aware of them.
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