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 enlarge | Authors: Ori Brafman, Rom Brafman
Publisher: Doubleday Business
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy New: $12.23
You Save: $9.72 (44%)
New (50) Used (9) from $12.23
Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 371
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0385524382
Dewey Decimal Number: 155.92
EAN: 9780385524384
ASIN: 0385524382
Publication Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 a good read July 12, 2008
Simon A. Long (australia)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
a lot of the research they cite will be well known to the studious reader, but still, a worthwhile addition, and an easy pleasant read
"People aren't rational." July 10, 2008
E. Bukowsky (NY United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The latest book on why people sometimes behave illogically is "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior," by the Brafman brothers. Ori has a PhD in psychology and Rom is a graduate of the Stanford Business School. They tell engrossing stories, each of which illuminates a principle of human behavior, and pose such intriguing questions as: Why would an experienced pilot who values the safety of his passengers take unnecessary risks? Why did the Challenger Space Shuttle go up even after "engineers from the company that build the O-ring recommended that the launch be delayed"? Why would a group of emergency room doctors fail to treat an obviously sick two-year-old girl? Why are most job interviews a complete waste of time and energy?
The answers will surprise you, but the basic theme is that we tend to be unduly influenced by other people and by our own preconceived notions. Instead of using our intellects to objectively analyze each situation on its merits, "we often ignore all evidence that contradicts what we want to believe." The authors' premise has widespread implications for every aspect of our lives: government, the economy, education, and of course, our professional and personal relationships.
"Sway" is clearly written, entertaining, and enlightening. The authors illustrate their ideas using a variety of eye-opening examples from medicine, sports, finance, archaeology, and even the world of game shows. If you take the Brafmans' message to heart, you may decide to think before you act, instead of being swayed to do things that will make you feel sorry later.
Insightful, Fun, and Informative July 1, 2008
Matthew Morine
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Ori, the author contacted me about reading his book. He was the author of "The Starfish and the Spider" which was a superb read. It was a blessing because I had planned on purchasing this book anyway to read. Sway is a masterful book about the influencing aspects of irrational behavior. The book is an enjoyable read as he weaves together interesting stories to narratively make his points. The book is dealing with mostly economic theory and human personality, but I found it highly relevant to the church culture. It is amazing the parallels within the church. The book dealt with loss aversion and the influence of commitment. You see these dynamics in congregations all the time. The book is great as it will "sway" you to see the world in a whole new light. It will also help you to make sense of some of the practices that take place in congregations. Thank you Ori and Rom for another insightful work.
 Not enough meat. June 25, 2008
C. Lambright (NYC)
9 out of 15 found this review helpful
The book ends at page 160 or so. The pages aren't exactly dense. There are a few interesting study results mentioned here, but I'm sure Readers' Digest will cover the same subject in 20 pages or less, and do a better job.
It would have been nice if the authors took the time to define simple terms, like "irrational" and "rational". This isn't really a book, it's half a book, with all the hard-to-write bits skipped over.
Another best seller for a good reason June 24, 2008
Devin Reams (Denver, CO USA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's an amazing book! Ori and his brother take another Tipping Point slash Freakonomics approach to this book which is very successful and very good at communicating complicated concepts. By using stories I'm able to quickly grasp the idea, and then I have a vivid application of the concept that I can turn around and use to share with others. This is the kind of book you read today and talk about with everyone you run into for the next three weeks.
The main point of the book is that we are often drawn to doing dumb (irrational) things and making decisions that make no sense... but in reality, they do. Go read the book and you'll realize, yes, this is what is going on all the time. It helps explain so many behavioral (and economical) decisions that, hopefully, the understanding of 'sway' can help you make better choices (about yourself, your products, your approaches, etc.).
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