Bounded Rationality: The Adaptive Toolbox

William Von Hippel (Author)

The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness

5,A Next Big Idea Club Must Read of February 2025"Von Hippel presents a radically new way to understand why human happiness has diminished. What's more, he offers superlative advice for how to get back on track." --Sonja Lyubomirsky, New York Times bestselling author of The How of HappinessFrom the author of The Social Leap comes this thought-provoking exploration into humans' two core evolutionary needs, for connection and autonomy, how the modern world has thrown them out of whack, and how we can rebalance them to improve our lives.Why do people who have so much--leading comfortable lives filled with unprecedented freedom, choice, and abundance--often feel so unhappy and unfulfilled? This phenomenon is a defining paradox of our time and one we endlessly seek to solve. In The Social Paradox, psychologist William von Hippel argues that we need to think about this problem in a new way. By changing our perspective, we might finally see the solution, bringing us greater happiness and more satisfying relationships.The key is to understand the interplay between our two most basic psychological needs--for connection and autonomy. Evolution made us dependent on one another for survival, ...

Crystal C. Hall (Author)

Antiracist by Design: Reimagining Applied Behavioral Science

6,How to confront the challenge of creating antiracist behavioral design--and how to successfully implement the solutions. Behavioral science has been celebrated as a field whose insights can design a better world, but its color-blind approach has perpetuated unjust systems. With over three decades of collective experience at the forefront of applied behavioral science, authors Hall and Hernandez expose the consequences of this failure and the dangers of inaction. While our hesitancy is understandable--applied behavioral science alone won't dismantle structural racism--we've confused limitations with powerlessness. This book provides a call to action. Antiracist By Design provides the tools and a roadmap to an antiracist approach to applied behavioral science, including a step-by-step guide to reimagined behavioral design processes, "fan fiction" with antiracist makeovers to classic studies, and a revised behavioral map template that prompts users to consider systemic barriers. Written for anyone who wants to make the world a more just place, Hall and Hernandez use scholarly research alongside accessible stories (from Mozart and Chris Rock to the TV show Insecure) to illuminate ...

Andy J. Merolla (Author)

The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us

9, A deep dive into the importance of daily communication and how we can harness its power to create a better life We spend much of our waking lives communicating with others. How does each moment of interaction shape not only our relationships but also our worldviews? And how can we create moments of connection that improve our health and well-being, particularly in a world in which people are feeling increasingly isolated? Drawing from their extensive research, Andy J. Merolla and Jeffrey A. Hall establish a new way to think about our relational life: as existing within "social biomes"--complex ecosystems of moments of interaction with others. Each interaction we have, no matter how unimportant or mundane it might seem, is a building block of our identities and beliefs. Consequently, the choices we make about how we interact and who we interact with--and whether we interact at all--matter more than we might know. Merolla and Hall offer a sympathetic, practical guide to our vital yet complicated social lives and propose realistic ways to embrace and enhance connection and hope.