Books › Quirkology
Quirkology
323 pages
A playful, eye-opening romp through the bizarre and hidden science of everyday human behavior.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting next to the most fascinating, observant guest at a dinner party. It moves at a brisk, entertaining clip, serving up bite-sized revelations about the weird, irrational, and entirely predictable ways humans behave. The mood is consistently breezy and amused, inviting you to laugh at our collective quirks while secretly analyzing your own habits. Wiseman's prose is conversational and witty, stripping away academic jargon to reveal the delightful absurdity of everyday life, from the mechanics of a good joke to the subtle tells of a liar. It is a perfect fit for armchair psychologists, trivia lovers, and anyone who enjoys people-watching, leaving you with a renewed, playful curiosity about the strangers you pass on the street.
- Mood
- curious
- amused
- breezy
- fascinated
- Tone
- playful
- inquisitive
- wry
- accessible
- lighthearted
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the hidden mechanics of everyday life · human irrationality · the science of the mundane · social quirks and oddities
- The writing
- Conversational, witty, and engaging, translating academic studies into highly digestible, entertaining anecdotes.
- The arc
- Moves from mild amusement at human eccentricity to a deeper, delighted appreciation for the predictable irrationality of our shared behavior.
- Who it's for
- Curious minds who love cocktail-party trivia, fans of pop-psychology, and anyone fascinated by the weird things humans do when they think no one is looking.
Content notes
- mild discussions of deception
About the book
For over twenty years, psychologist Richard Wiseman has examined the quirky science of everyday life. In Quirkology, he navigates the oddities of human behavior, explaining the tell-tale signs that give away a liar, the secret science behind speed-dating and personal ads, and what a person’s sense of humor reveals about the innermost workings of his or her mind-all along paying tribute to others who have carried out similarly weird and wonderful work. Wiseman’s research has involved secretly observing people as they go about their daily business, conducting unusual experiments in art exhibitions and music concerts, and even staging fake seances in allegedly haunted buildings. With thousands of research subjects from all over the world, including enamored couples, unwitting pedestrians, and guileless dinner guests, Wiseman presents a fun, clever, and unexpected picture of the human mind.
Description from Open Library.
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