Think Like a Freak -- Book Review

What a title. If you have heard of the Freakonomics books, then you know the authors behind this book. The authors are economists and look at the world from that viewpoint. What you end up with is a different way of approaching a problem or issue. Along the way you learn that saying, "I don't know," is very hard for many people. Some people would rather be wrong than say that. So wouldn't it be nice to figure out who those people are before listening to advice?

The biggest lesson I learned from Think Like a Freak is incentive, both using incentive to get new results and understanding the incentive behind other's actions. If you can label the incentive behind people actions or thoughts, then you can modify or adjust the action. It's not always that easy though.

How Kobayashi became the hot dog eating champion by eating differently. Parents are a big reason students succeed or fail in school. How to kick a penalty kick in soccer. We tend to seek information that confirms our current beliefs. These and other actions are explained in unconventional ways. The book has many stories, one being stories are an effective way to teach people, that illustrate how some people truly think outside the box.

P.S. This is the second book I have read on the Kindle. I can see the benefit of storing many books on a single device. I'm more used to the format. And I still dislike the difficulty in skipping pages backwards to reread a passage. I have virtually given up the practice and wish there was a way around the problem. I will still use the Kindle for now though.