The Secret Life of Pronouns
What Our Words Say About Us
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $17.62
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Robert Fass
About this listen
We spend our lives communicating. In the last 50 years, we've zoomed through radically different forms of communication, from typewriters to tablet computers, text messages to tweets. We generate more and more words with each passing day. Hiding in that deluge of language are amazing insights into who we are, how we think, and what we feel.
In The Secret Life of Pronouns, social psychologist and language expert James W. Pennebaker uses his groundbreaking research in computational linguistics - in essence, counting the frequency of words we use - to show that our language carries secrets about our feelings, our self-concept, and our social intelligence. Our most forgettable words, such as pronouns and prepositions, can be the most revealing: their patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints.
Using innovative analytic techniques, Pennebaker X-rays everything from Craigslist advertisements to the Federalist Papers - or your own writing, in quizzes you can take yourself - to yield unexpected insights. Who would have predicted that the high-school student who uses too many verbs in her college admissions essay is likely to make lower grades in college? Or that a world leader's use of pronouns could reliably presage whether he will lead his country into war? You'll learn why it's bad when politicians use "we" instead of "I", what Lady Gaga and William Butler Yeats have in common, and how Ebenezer Scrooge's syntax hints at his self-deception and repressed emotion. Barack Obama, Sylvia Plath, and King Lear are among the figures who make cameo appearances in this sprightly, surprising tour of what our words are saying - whether we mean them to or not.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©2011 James W. Pennebaker (P)2012 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Dangerous Personalities
- An FBI Profiler Shows You How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People
- By: Joe Navarro, Toni Sciarra Poynter
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Dangerous Personalities, former FBI profiler Joe Navarro shows listeners how to identify the four most common "dangerous personalities", and analyze how much of a threat each one can be: the Narcissist, the Predator, the Paranoid, and the Unstable Personality. Along the way, listeners learn how to protect themselves both immediately and long-term - as well as how to recover from the trauma of being close to such a destructive force.
-
-
A Bad Conscience
- By Mel on 10-29-14
By: Joe Navarro, and others
-
Six-Minute X-Ray
- Rapid Behavior Profiling
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With skills specifically designed for intelligence operations, Chase Hughes releases yet another groundbreaking audiobook. In Six Minute X-Ray, you’ll learn the most powerful people-reading system in the world. Chase exposes and unpacks simple techniques that come together to allow you to see beyond the mask that anyone is wearing. In less than six minutes, you’ll know more about the hidden side of the person you’re speaking to than their own friends and family - no joke.
-
-
A great book, but not a great audio book
- By David T on 11-26-21
By: Chase Hughes
-
Truth and Lies
- What People Are Really Thinking
- By: Mark Bowden, Tracey Thomson
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you're at a job interview or a cocktail party, searching LinkedIn, or swiping right on a dating site, you want (no - need) to understand what people are really thinking, regardless of what they're saying. Understanding what others are trying to tell you with their posture, hand gestures, eye contact (or lack thereof), or incessant fiddling with their iPhone might all be even more important than what you're projecting yourself.
-
-
The Abcs of Body Language.
- By Myrrh28 on 03-27-21
By: Mark Bowden, and others
-
I Can Read You Like a Book
- By: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I Can Read You Like A Book features a system for scanning and interpreting anyone's body language, enabling you to figure out what they are really saying or feeling.
-
-
Fabulous in every way!
- By Minny on 07-11-21
By: Gregory Hartley, and others
-
The Ellipsis Manual
- Analysis and Engineering of Human Behavior
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ellipsis Manual is the kind of book that used to be locked away deep in a vault underground, far away from the prying eyes of those who could misuse its power.
-
-
Deep dive into the information
- By Anonymous User on 02-11-24
By: Chase Hughes
-
Find Out Anything from Anyone, Anytime
- Secrets of Calculated Questioning from a Veteran Interrogator
- By: James Pyle, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The secret to finding out anything you want to know is amazingly simple: Ask good questions. Most people trip through life asking bad questions - of teachers, friends, coworkers, clients, prospects, experts, and suspects. Even people trained in questioning, such as journalists and lawyers, commonly ask questions that get partial or misleading answers. People in any profession will immediately benefit by developing the skill and art of good questioning.
-
-
Reader speaks fast and 3/4 speed doesn't help
- By Pat C Reedy on 11-13-15
By: James Pyle, and others
-
Dangerous Personalities
- An FBI Profiler Shows You How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People
- By: Joe Navarro, Toni Sciarra Poynter
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Dangerous Personalities, former FBI profiler Joe Navarro shows listeners how to identify the four most common "dangerous personalities", and analyze how much of a threat each one can be: the Narcissist, the Predator, the Paranoid, and the Unstable Personality. Along the way, listeners learn how to protect themselves both immediately and long-term - as well as how to recover from the trauma of being close to such a destructive force.
-
-
A Bad Conscience
- By Mel on 10-29-14
By: Joe Navarro, and others
-
Six-Minute X-Ray
- Rapid Behavior Profiling
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With skills specifically designed for intelligence operations, Chase Hughes releases yet another groundbreaking audiobook. In Six Minute X-Ray, you’ll learn the most powerful people-reading system in the world. Chase exposes and unpacks simple techniques that come together to allow you to see beyond the mask that anyone is wearing. In less than six minutes, you’ll know more about the hidden side of the person you’re speaking to than their own friends and family - no joke.
-
-
A great book, but not a great audio book
- By David T on 11-26-21
By: Chase Hughes
-
Truth and Lies
- What People Are Really Thinking
- By: Mark Bowden, Tracey Thomson
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you're at a job interview or a cocktail party, searching LinkedIn, or swiping right on a dating site, you want (no - need) to understand what people are really thinking, regardless of what they're saying. Understanding what others are trying to tell you with their posture, hand gestures, eye contact (or lack thereof), or incessant fiddling with their iPhone might all be even more important than what you're projecting yourself.
-
-
The Abcs of Body Language.
- By Myrrh28 on 03-27-21
By: Mark Bowden, and others
-
I Can Read You Like a Book
- By: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I Can Read You Like A Book features a system for scanning and interpreting anyone's body language, enabling you to figure out what they are really saying or feeling.
-
-
Fabulous in every way!
- By Minny on 07-11-21
By: Gregory Hartley, and others
-
The Ellipsis Manual
- Analysis and Engineering of Human Behavior
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ellipsis Manual is the kind of book that used to be locked away deep in a vault underground, far away from the prying eyes of those who could misuse its power.
-
-
Deep dive into the information
- By Anonymous User on 02-11-24
By: Chase Hughes
-
Find Out Anything from Anyone, Anytime
- Secrets of Calculated Questioning from a Veteran Interrogator
- By: James Pyle, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Walter Dixon
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The secret to finding out anything you want to know is amazingly simple: Ask good questions. Most people trip through life asking bad questions - of teachers, friends, coworkers, clients, prospects, experts, and suspects. Even people trained in questioning, such as journalists and lawyers, commonly ask questions that get partial or misleading answers. People in any profession will immediately benefit by developing the skill and art of good questioning.
-
-
Reader speaks fast and 3/4 speed doesn't help
- By Pat C Reedy on 11-13-15
By: James Pyle, and others
-
Telling Lies
- Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage
- By: Paul Ekman
- Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revised edition, Paul Ekman, a renowned expert in emotions research and nonverbal communication, adds a new chapter to present his latest research on his groundbreaking inquiry into lying and the methods for uncovering lies. Telling Lies describes how lies vary in form and how they can differ from other types of misinformation that can reveal untruths.
-
-
Mind blowing 🤯
- By The Option Forte on 04-08-24
By: Paul Ekman
-
What Every BODY Is Saying
- An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People
- By: Joe Navarro, Marvin Karlins
- Narrated by: Paul Costanzo
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you.
-
-
Let Me Hear Your Body Talk
- By Cynthia on 07-06-13
By: Joe Navarro, and others
-
The Dictionary of Body Language
- A Field Guide to Human Behavior
- By: Joe Navarro
- Narrated by: Dave Clark
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listeners will turn to The Dictionary Body Language again and again - a body-language bible for anyone looking to understand what their boss really means, interpret whether a potential romantic partner is interested or not, and learn how to put themselves forward in the most favorable light.
-
-
Huge miss, save your money.
- By Jim Heathington on 11-05-19
By: Joe Navarro
-
Be Exceptional
- Master the Five Traits That Set Extraordinary People Apart
- By: Joe Navarro, Toni Sciarra Poynter - contributor
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Navarro spent a quarter century with the FBI, pursuing spies and other dangerous criminals across the globe. In his line of work, successful leadership was quite literally a matter of life or death. Now he brings his hard-earned lessons to you. Be Exceptional distills a lifetime of experience into five principles that outstanding individuals live by.
-
-
Kindly Challenging & Encouraging
- By SuzeeSumatra on 11-10-21
By: Joe Navarro, and others
-
Magic Words
- By: Jonah Berger
- Narrated by: Keith Nobbs
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times bestselling author Jonah Berger’s cutting-edge research reveals how six types of words can increase your impact in every area of life: from persuading others and building stronger relationships, to boosting creativity and motivating teams.
-
-
good book minus the progressive flare-up
- By H.B. on 06-06-23
By: Jonah Berger
-
Tame the Primitive Brain
- 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you tame your most impulsive, primitive reactions to the crazy situations you face every day, you'll help others do the same. Tame the Primitive Brain offers a new and simple system to understanding and controlling the behavior of others. Noted body language, behavior, and communication expert Mark Bowden explains the fastest and most effective ways to understand why someone acts toward you the way they do; why you react to their behavior in the way you do; and most important, what exactly to do to achieve the right outcomes.
-
-
content vs presentation
- By Amazon Customer on 04-07-17
By: Mark Bowden
-
Crystal Clear Communication
- How to Explain Anything Clearly in Speech or Writing
- By: Gary S Goodman
- Narrated by: Gary S Goodman
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With this program, you'll have the tools, the techniques, and, just as importantly, the unflinching confidence to influence your readers and listeners decisively - both at work and at home.
-
-
Largely Sales-Oriented, and Instantly Usable
- By Troy on 01-26-15
By: Gary S Goodman
-
Without Conscience
- The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
- By: Robert D. Hare
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong....
-
-
When I gave up on books that supposedly would...
- By Douglas on 03-01-12
By: Robert D. Hare
-
How to Spot a Liar
- By: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Length: 2 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever been lied to? Of course you have, whether you knew it or not. Ever caught a spouse, business partner, parent, boss, or child brazenly lying right to your face? What if you could tell someone was lying, just by listening to them, and observing their action and behavior? Here's the first audiobook that gives you the tools to figure out what's really going on.
-
-
Highly educational
- By Lorelei on 12-21-07
By: Gregory Hartley, and others
-
Mindreader
- The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are
- By: David J. Lieberman
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What did your boss mean in that email? Is your mechanic stretching the truth? Whether you’re engaged in a casual conversation or a high-stakes negotiation, it’s critical to understand the subtext of a situation. But with so much interaction happening on screens—via email, texts, or video chat—we are losing the ability to interpret expressions and cues. Furthermore, since many are now savvy about the meaning of body language, it’s become even harder to discern someone’s true thoughts or intentions.
-
-
Waste of a credit for common sense observations
- By Brendan on 08-30-22
-
Snakes in Suits, Revised Edition
- Understanding and Surviving the Psychopaths in Your Office
- By: Paul Babiak PhD, Robert D. Hare PhD
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Snakes in Suits, Hare, an expert on the scientific study of psychopathy, and Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist and a leading authority on the corporate psychopath, examine the role of psychopaths in modern corporations and provide the tools employers can use to avoid and deal with them. Together, they have developed the B-Scan 360, a research tool designed specifically for business professionals.
-
-
The Book flip flops from great to unbearable
- By ricodiva on 03-15-22
By: Paul Babiak PhD, and others
-
The Art of Body Talk
- How to Decode Gestures, Mannerisms, and Other Nonverbal Messages
- By: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Marguerite Gavin
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reading body language is a gateway to understanding why people act the way they do. It's not just a matter of understanding their true emotions but also of identifying their true motivation. In The Art of Body Talk, the authors share their highly successful READ (Review, Evaluate, Analyze, Decide) system of understanding body language.
-
-
Highly recommend it
- By Tim Blackburn on 07-04-23
By: Gregory Hartley, and others
Critic reviews
Related to this topic
-
Mindwise
- Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want
- By: Nicholas Epley
- Narrated by: Nicholas Epley
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You are a mind reader, born with an extraordinary ability to understand what others think, feel, believe, want, and know. It's a sixth sense you use every day, in every personal and professional relationship you have. At its best, this ability allows you to achieve the most important goal in almost any life: connecting, deeply and intimately and honestly, to other human beings. At its worst, it is a source of misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict, leading to damaged relationships and broken dreams. How good are you at knowing the minds of others?
-
-
Finally gave up - no real point
- By Thomas on 05-12-14
By: Nicholas Epley
-
The Man Who Lied to his Laptop
- What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships
- By: Clifford Nass, Corina Yen
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clifford Nass has developed a powerful theory: Our brains can’t fundamentally distinguish between interacting with people and interacting with devices. Nass’s discoveries push the boundaries of both psychology and technology and provide nothing less than a new blueprint for successful human relationships.
-
-
Human/Technology Interface
- By Roy on 10-19-10
By: Clifford Nass, and others
-
Blindspot
- By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
-
-
Difficult to interpret.
- By Ryan Arnold on 12-21-15
By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, and others
-
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
- A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature
- By: Douglas T. Kenrick
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between what can be learned from evolutionary psychology and cognitive science a picture emerges. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick fuses these two fields to create a coherent story of human nature. In his analysis, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—one-night stands, prejudice, conspicuous consumption, even art and religious devotion—are quite explicable and (when desired) avoidable.
-
-
Rather dated and self-aggrandizing
- By Laurie Frick on 07-21-11
-
Ha!
- The Science of When We Laugh and Why
- By: Scott Weems
- Narrated by: Kalen Allmandinger
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funnyand why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model.
-
-
Good place to start in the study of humor
- By Amazon Customer on 05-26-17
By: Scott Weems
-
Babel No More
- The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners
- By: Michael Erard
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all learn at least one language as children. But what does it take to learn six languages...or seventy? In Babel No More, Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages; Emil Krebs, a pugnacious German diplomat, who spoke sixty-eight languages; and Lomb Kat, a Hungarian who taught herself Russian by reading Russian romance novels.
-
-
Heavy on anecdote, light on science
- By S. Yates on 07-15-16
By: Michael Erard
-
Mindwise
- Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want
- By: Nicholas Epley
- Narrated by: Nicholas Epley
- Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You are a mind reader, born with an extraordinary ability to understand what others think, feel, believe, want, and know. It's a sixth sense you use every day, in every personal and professional relationship you have. At its best, this ability allows you to achieve the most important goal in almost any life: connecting, deeply and intimately and honestly, to other human beings. At its worst, it is a source of misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict, leading to damaged relationships and broken dreams. How good are you at knowing the minds of others?
-
-
Finally gave up - no real point
- By Thomas on 05-12-14
By: Nicholas Epley
-
The Man Who Lied to his Laptop
- What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships
- By: Clifford Nass, Corina Yen
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Clifford Nass has developed a powerful theory: Our brains can’t fundamentally distinguish between interacting with people and interacting with devices. Nass’s discoveries push the boundaries of both psychology and technology and provide nothing less than a new blueprint for successful human relationships.
-
-
Human/Technology Interface
- By Roy on 10-19-10
By: Clifford Nass, and others
-
Blindspot
- By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, Anthony G. Greenwald
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I know my own mind. I am able to assess others in a fair and accurate way. These self-perceptions are challenged by leading psychologists Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald as they explore the hidden biases we all carry from a lifetime of exposure to cultural attitudes about age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, social class, sexuality, disability status, and nationality. Blindspot is the authors’ metaphor for the portion of the mind that houses hidden biases.
-
-
Difficult to interpret.
- By Ryan Arnold on 12-21-15
By: Mahzarin R. Banaji, and others
-
Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
- A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature
- By: Douglas T. Kenrick
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between what can be learned from evolutionary psychology and cognitive science a picture emerges. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick fuses these two fields to create a coherent story of human nature. In his analysis, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—one-night stands, prejudice, conspicuous consumption, even art and religious devotion—are quite explicable and (when desired) avoidable.
-
-
Rather dated and self-aggrandizing
- By Laurie Frick on 07-21-11
-
Ha!
- The Science of When We Laugh and Why
- By: Scott Weems
- Narrated by: Kalen Allmandinger
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humor, like pornography, is famously difficult to define. We know it when we see it, but is there a way to figure out what we really find funnyand why? In this fascinating investigation into the science of humor and laughter, cognitive neuroscientist Scott Weems uncovers what’s happening in our heads when we giggle, guffaw, or double over with laughter. While we typically think of humor in terms of jokes or comic timing, in Ha! Weems proposes a provocative new model.
-
-
Good place to start in the study of humor
- By Amazon Customer on 05-26-17
By: Scott Weems
-
Babel No More
- The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners
- By: Michael Erard
- Narrated by: Robert Blumenfeld
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all learn at least one language as children. But what does it take to learn six languages...or seventy? In Babel No More, Michael Erard, "a monolingual with benefits," sets out on a quest to meet language superlearners and make sense of their mental powers. On the way he uncovers the secrets of historical figures like Italian cardinal Giuseppe Mezzofanti, who was said to speak seventy-two languages; Emil Krebs, a pugnacious German diplomat, who spoke sixty-eight languages; and Lomb Kat, a Hungarian who taught herself Russian by reading Russian romance novels.
-
-
Heavy on anecdote, light on science
- By S. Yates on 07-15-16
By: Michael Erard
-
Before You Know It
- The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do
- By: John Bargh PhD
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than three decades, Dr. John Bargh has been responsible for the revolutionary research into the unconscious mind, research that informed best sellers like Blink and Thinking Fast and Slow. Now, in what Dr. John Gottman said "will be the most important and exciting book in psychology that has been written in the past 20 years", Dr. Bargh takes us on an entertaining and enlightening tour of the forces that affect everyday behavior while transforming our understanding of ourselves in profound ways.
-
-
Political jab
- By Brad on 10-20-17
By: John Bargh PhD
-
You Are Now Less Dumb
- How to Conquer Mob Mentality, How to Buy Happiness, and All the Other Ways to Outsmart Yourself
- By: David McRaney
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You Are Now Less Dumb is grounded in the idea that we all believe ourselves to be objective observers of reality - except we’re not. But that's okay, because our delusions keep us sane. Expanding on this premise, McRaney provides eye-opening analyses of 15 more ways we fool ourselves every day. This smart and highly entertaining audiobook will be wowing listeners for years to come.
-
-
Not a lot of guidance
- By A. Yoshida on 02-08-14
By: David McRaney
-
Outnumbered
- Exploring the Algorithms That Control Our Lives
- By: David Sumpter
- Narrated by: David West
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our increasing reliance on technology and the Internet has opened a window for mathematicians and data researchers to gaze through into our lives. Using the data they are constantly collecting about where we travel, where we shop, what we buy, what interests us, they can begin to predict our daily habits, and increasingly we are relinquishing our decision making to algorithms - are we giving up this up too easily?
-
-
A good reality check for "Cambridge Hyperbolitica"
- By Haggai Elkayam on 08-06-18
By: David Sumpter
-
The Formula
- How Algorithms Solve all our Problems…and Create More
- By: Luke Dormehl
- Narrated by: Daniel Weyman
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A fascinating guided tour of the complex, fast-moving, and influential world of algorithms - what they are, why they’re such powerful predictors of human behavior, and where they’re headed next. Algorithms exert an extraordinary level of influence on our everyday lives - from dating websites and financial trading floors, through to online retailing and internet searches - Google's search algorithm is now a more closely guarded commercial secret than the recipe for Coca-Cola.
-
-
Not about algorithms. Not an original book.
- By Landon Rordam on 12-02-14
By: Luke Dormehl
-
Smarter Than You Think
- How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better
- By: Clive Thompson
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Smarter Than You Think, Thompson documents how every technological innovation - from the printing press to the telegraph - has provoked the very same anxieties that plague us today. We panic that life will never be the same, that our attentions are eroding, that culture is being trivialized. But as in the past, we adapt, learning to use the new and retaining what’s good of the old.
-
-
Title should be Getting Smarter Through Technology
- By A. Yoshida on 03-10-17
By: Clive Thompson
-
Sway
- The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior
- By: Rom Brafman, Ori Brafman
- Narrated by: John Apicella
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Harvard Business School student pays over $200 for a $20 bill. Washington, D.C., commuters ignore a free subway concert by a violin prodigy. A veteran airline pilot attempts to take off without control-tower clearance and collides with another plane on the runway. Why do we do the wildly irrational things we sometimes do?
-
-
Disappointing book
- By Martin Proulx on 12-10-08
By: Rom Brafman, and others
-
The Compassionate Achiever
- How Helping Others Fuels Success
- By: Christopher L. Kukk
- Narrated by: Rick Adamson
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades we've been told the key to prosperity is to look out for number one. But recent science shows that to achieve durable success, we need to be more than just achievers; we need to be compassionate achievers. New research in biology, neuroscience, and economics has found that compassion - recognizing a problem or caring about another's pain and making a commitment to help - not only improves others' lives; it can transform our own.
-
-
Me me me
- By Someone or not? on 04-04-20
-
Turned On
- Science, Sex and Robots
- By: Kate Devlin
- Narrated by: Kate Devlin
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sexual activity is central to our very existence; it shapes how we think, how we act and how we live. With advances in technology come machines that may one day think independently. What will happen to us when we form close relationships with these intelligent systems? Sex robots are here and here to stay, and more are coming. This audiobook explores how the emerging and future development of sexual companion robots might affect us and the society in which we live. It explores the social changes arising from emerging technologies and our relationships with the machines that may someday care for us and about us.
-
-
Nuanced, Smart, and Compassionate
- By Karen on 01-20-19
By: Kate Devlin
-
Friend and Foe
- When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both
- By: Adam D. Galinsky, Maurice E. Schweitzer
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Friend and Foe, researchers Galinsky and Schweitzer explain why this debate misses the mark. Rather than being hardwired to compete or cooperate, humans have evolved to do both. It is only by learning how to strike the right balance between these two forces that we can improve our long-term relationships and get more of what we want.
-
-
Unexpected
- By Garron Rose on 01-05-16
By: Adam D. Galinsky, and others
-
Mindware
- Tools for Smart Thinking
- By: Richard E. Nisbett
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many scientific and philosophical ideas are so powerful that they can be applied to our lives at home, work, and school to help us think smarter and more effectively about our behavior and the world around us. Surprisingly, many of these ideas remain unknown to most of us. In Mindware, the world-renowned psychologist Richard Nisbett presents these ideas in clear and accessible detail, offering a tool kit for better thinking and wiser decisions.
-
-
Sound scientific advice on how to live your life
- By Neuron on 08-26-15
-
Galileo's Middle Finger
- Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science
- By: Alice Dreger
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A powerful defense of intellectual freedom told through the ordeals of contemporary scientists attacked for exploring controversial ideas, by a noted science historian and medical activist.
-
-
Engrossing but...
- By Lilly F. on 12-30-20
By: Alice Dreger
-
How to Spot a Liar
- By: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Narrated by: Gregory Hartley, Maryann Karinch
- Length: 2 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever been lied to? Of course you have, whether you knew it or not. Ever caught a spouse, business partner, parent, boss, or child brazenly lying right to your face? What if you could tell someone was lying, just by listening to them, and observing their action and behavior? Here's the first audiobook that gives you the tools to figure out what's really going on.
-
-
Highly educational
- By Lorelei on 12-21-07
By: Gregory Hartley, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Opening Up by Writing It Down (Third Edition)
- How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain
- By: James W. Pennebaker, Joshua M. Smyth
- Narrated by: Douglas James
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This lucid, compassionate audiobook has introduced tens of thousands of listeners to expressive writing, a simple yet powerful self-help technique grounded in scientific research. Leading experts James W. Pennebaker and Joshua M. Smyth describe how taking just a few minutes to write about deeply felt personal experiences or problems may help improve our mental and physical health.
By: James W. Pennebaker, and others
-
Truth and Lies
- What People Are Really Thinking
- By: Mark Bowden, Tracey Thomson
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you're at a job interview or a cocktail party, searching LinkedIn, or swiping right on a dating site, you want (no - need) to understand what people are really thinking, regardless of what they're saying. Understanding what others are trying to tell you with their posture, hand gestures, eye contact (or lack thereof), or incessant fiddling with their iPhone might all be even more important than what you're projecting yourself.
-
-
The Abcs of Body Language.
- By Myrrh28 on 03-27-21
By: Mark Bowden, and others
-
Tame the Primitive Brain
- 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you tame your most impulsive, primitive reactions to the crazy situations you face every day, you'll help others do the same. Tame the Primitive Brain offers a new and simple system to understanding and controlling the behavior of others. Noted body language, behavior, and communication expert Mark Bowden explains the fastest and most effective ways to understand why someone acts toward you the way they do; why you react to their behavior in the way you do; and most important, what exactly to do to achieve the right outcomes.
-
-
content vs presentation
- By Amazon Customer on 04-07-17
By: Mark Bowden
-
The Clutter Connection
- How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do
- By: Cassandra Aarssen
- Narrated by: Ann Richardson
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"You're not messy, you just organize differently." The Clutter Connection examines and explains the correlation between brain types and how they directly relate to organization and clutter. Cassandra Aarssen smashes the stereotype that some people are "naturally messy" and offers listeners insight and real-life solutions based on their unique personal organizing style. The Clutter Connection will help you get organized, be more productive, and finally understand the why behind your clutter.
-
-
Life Changing Aproach - Way different than others
- By Oneyellowducky on 02-22-19
-
Conversationally Speaking
- Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness
- By: Alan Garner
- Narrated by: Roy McCrerey
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conversationally Speaking has become the most popular book in the world teaching conversation skills. Millions of people have used it to learn the secrets of effective communication. This revised edition provides more ways to improve your conversation skills by giving you strategies that work for starting conversations, asking questions that promote interaction, interesting people in what you have to say, listening so that others will be encouraged to talk, avoiding rejection-producing behavior, handling criticism constructively, and more.
-
-
Basic and Dry
- By Amazon Customer on 05-01-23
By: Alan Garner
-
Telling Lies
- Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage
- By: Paul Ekman
- Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revised edition, Paul Ekman, a renowned expert in emotions research and nonverbal communication, adds a new chapter to present his latest research on his groundbreaking inquiry into lying and the methods for uncovering lies. Telling Lies describes how lies vary in form and how they can differ from other types of misinformation that can reveal untruths.
-
-
Mind blowing 🤯
- By The Option Forte on 04-08-24
By: Paul Ekman
-
Opening Up by Writing It Down (Third Edition)
- How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain
- By: James W. Pennebaker, Joshua M. Smyth
- Narrated by: Douglas James
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This lucid, compassionate audiobook has introduced tens of thousands of listeners to expressive writing, a simple yet powerful self-help technique grounded in scientific research. Leading experts James W. Pennebaker and Joshua M. Smyth describe how taking just a few minutes to write about deeply felt personal experiences or problems may help improve our mental and physical health.
By: James W. Pennebaker, and others
-
Truth and Lies
- What People Are Really Thinking
- By: Mark Bowden, Tracey Thomson
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you're at a job interview or a cocktail party, searching LinkedIn, or swiping right on a dating site, you want (no - need) to understand what people are really thinking, regardless of what they're saying. Understanding what others are trying to tell you with their posture, hand gestures, eye contact (or lack thereof), or incessant fiddling with their iPhone might all be even more important than what you're projecting yourself.
-
-
The Abcs of Body Language.
- By Myrrh28 on 03-27-21
By: Mark Bowden, and others
-
Tame the Primitive Brain
- 28 Ways in 28 Days to Manage the Most Impulsive Behaviors at Work
- By: Mark Bowden
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When you tame your most impulsive, primitive reactions to the crazy situations you face every day, you'll help others do the same. Tame the Primitive Brain offers a new and simple system to understanding and controlling the behavior of others. Noted body language, behavior, and communication expert Mark Bowden explains the fastest and most effective ways to understand why someone acts toward you the way they do; why you react to their behavior in the way you do; and most important, what exactly to do to achieve the right outcomes.
-
-
content vs presentation
- By Amazon Customer on 04-07-17
By: Mark Bowden
-
The Clutter Connection
- How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do
- By: Cassandra Aarssen
- Narrated by: Ann Richardson
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"You're not messy, you just organize differently." The Clutter Connection examines and explains the correlation between brain types and how they directly relate to organization and clutter. Cassandra Aarssen smashes the stereotype that some people are "naturally messy" and offers listeners insight and real-life solutions based on their unique personal organizing style. The Clutter Connection will help you get organized, be more productive, and finally understand the why behind your clutter.
-
-
Life Changing Aproach - Way different than others
- By Oneyellowducky on 02-22-19
-
Conversationally Speaking
- Tested New Ways to Increase Your Personal and Social Effectiveness
- By: Alan Garner
- Narrated by: Roy McCrerey
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Conversationally Speaking has become the most popular book in the world teaching conversation skills. Millions of people have used it to learn the secrets of effective communication. This revised edition provides more ways to improve your conversation skills by giving you strategies that work for starting conversations, asking questions that promote interaction, interesting people in what you have to say, listening so that others will be encouraged to talk, avoiding rejection-producing behavior, handling criticism constructively, and more.
-
-
Basic and Dry
- By Amazon Customer on 05-01-23
By: Alan Garner
-
Telling Lies
- Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage
- By: Paul Ekman
- Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this revised edition, Paul Ekman, a renowned expert in emotions research and nonverbal communication, adds a new chapter to present his latest research on his groundbreaking inquiry into lying and the methods for uncovering lies. Telling Lies describes how lies vary in form and how they can differ from other types of misinformation that can reveal untruths.
-
-
Mind blowing 🤯
- By The Option Forte on 04-08-24
By: Paul Ekman
-
Becoming Fluent
- How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language
- By: Richard Roberts, Roger Kreuz
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Becoming Fluent, Richard Roberts and Roger Kreuz draw on insights from psychology and cognitive science to show that adults can master a foreign language if they bring to bear the skills and knowledge they have honed over a lifetime. Adults shouldn't try to learn as children do, they should learn like adults. Roberts and Kreuz report evidence that adults can learn new languages even more easily than children.
-
-
Learning strategies
- By S. T. on 07-23-17
By: Richard Roberts, and others
-
Write It Down, Make It Happen
- Knowing What You Want and Getting It!
- By: Henriette Anne Klauser
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Write It Down, Make It Happen, Henriette Anne Klauser, PhD, explains how simply writing down your goals in life is the first step toward achieving them. Writing can even help you understand what you want. In this book, you will hear stories about ordinary people who witnessed miracles large and small unfold in their lives after they performed the basic act of putting their dreams on paper. Klauser's down-to-earth tips and easy exercises are sure to get your creative juices flowing. Before you know it, you'll be writing your own ticket to success.
-
-
Great Content
- By A. Baker on 03-16-18
-
Friend of a Friend...
- Understanding the Hidden Networks That Can Transform Your Life and Your Career
- By: David Burkus
- Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What if the best way to grow your network isn't by introducing yourself to strangers at cocktail parties, handing out business cards, or signing up for the latest online tool, but by developing a better understanding of the existing network that's already around you? We know that it's essential to reach out and build your network. But did you know that it's actually your weaker or former contacts who will be the most helpful to you? Or that many of our best efforts at meeting new people simply serve up the same old opportunities we already have?
-
-
The reality of human networks - How to Navigate, Create & Use them!
- By T.Om on 11-07-18
By: David Burkus
-
Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart
- 30 True Things You Need to Know Now
- By: Gordon Livingston
- Narrated by: James Jenner
- Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full of things we may know but have not articulated to ourselves, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart is a gentle and generous alternative to the trial-and-error learning that makes wisdom such an expensive commodity. For everyone who feels a sense of urgency that the clock ticks and still we aren't the person we'd like to be, it offers solace, guidance, and hope.
-
-
This guy is a straight shooter
- By Julia on 11-13-05
-
Master Your Time, Master Your Life
- The Breakthrough System to Get More Results, Faster, in Every Area of Your Life
- By: Brian Tracy
- Narrated by: Brian Tracy
- Length: 4 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Master Your Time, Master Your Life, Tracy explains why tackling the right project at the right time is of the utmost importance. Based on the most recent research into the field of productivity as well as the author's personal experiences and those of his clients, Tracy argues that we may be stuck on something because of one simple thing: The timing isn't right.
-
-
Great material. Audio quality lacking.
- By Richard Fox on 02-05-17
By: Brian Tracy
-
The 33 Strategies of War
- By: Robert Greene
- Narrated by: Don Leslie
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning world civilizations, synthesizing dozens of political, philosophical, and religious texts and thousands of years of violent conflict, The 33 Strategies of War is a comprehensive guide to the subtle social games of everyday life, informed by the most ingenious and effective military principles in war. Structured in Greene's trademark style, The 33 Strategies of War is the I Ching of conflict, the contemporary companion to Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
-
-
Excellent Materials
- By Chris on 09-07-13
By: Robert Greene
-
Magic Words
- By: Jonah Berger
- Narrated by: Keith Nobbs
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times bestselling author Jonah Berger’s cutting-edge research reveals how six types of words can increase your impact in every area of life: from persuading others and building stronger relationships, to boosting creativity and motivating teams.
-
-
good book minus the progressive flare-up
- By H.B. on 06-06-23
By: Jonah Berger
-
Snakes in Suits, Revised Edition
- Understanding and Surviving the Psychopaths in Your Office
- By: Paul Babiak PhD, Robert D. Hare PhD
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Snakes in Suits, Hare, an expert on the scientific study of psychopathy, and Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist and a leading authority on the corporate psychopath, examine the role of psychopaths in modern corporations and provide the tools employers can use to avoid and deal with them. Together, they have developed the B-Scan 360, a research tool designed specifically for business professionals.
-
-
The Book flip flops from great to unbearable
- By ricodiva on 03-15-22
By: Paul Babiak PhD, and others
-
Your Brain Is Always Listening
- Tame the Hidden Dragons That Control Your Happiness, Habits, and Hang-Ups
- By: Daniel G. Amen
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Dr. Daniel Amen equips you with powerful weapons to battle the inner dragons that are breathing fire on your brain, driving unhealthy behaviors, and robbing you of joy and contentment.
-
-
BORING and USELESS!!!
- By Sahar Pugh on 03-10-21
By: Daniel G. Amen
-
How to Ikigai
- Lessons for Finding Happiness and Living Your Life's Purpose
- By: Tim Tamashiro
- Narrated by: Tim Tamashiro
- Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ancient, time-tested wisdom: Okinawa, Japan, is a tiny, tiny island south of the Japanese mainland where people live their life's purpose every day. How is it possible for so many to live each day in such meaningful ways? The Okinawan concept of Ikigai. Magical reality come to life: David Michiels stuttered severely well into his adulthood. In clinical terms, his stutter was difficult to treat. But David started to work in a liquor store. Before long, his focus turned to one specific section of the sales floor: the scotch section.
-
-
This Book Can Truly Change Your Life
- By C Perakis on 09-18-22
By: Tim Tamashiro
-
The Inflammation Spectrum
- Find Your Food Triggers and Reset Your System
- By: Dr. Will Cole, Eve Adamson
- Narrated by: Dr. Will Cole
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Inflammation Spectrum is about learning to love your body enough to nourish it with delicious, healing foods. Its insightful quizzes and empowering advice will put you on a path toward food freedom and overall healing.
-
-
To Find PDF files
- By ROBERT WASHBURN on 02-23-20
By: Dr. Will Cole, and others
-
In Sheep's Clothing
- Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People
- By: George K. Simon
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. George K. Simon knows how people push your buttons: your children---especially teens---are experts at it, as is your mate. A coworker may quietly undermine your efforts while professing to be helpful, or your boss may prey on your weaknesses. Manipulative people have two goals: to win and to look good doing it.
-
-
Don't Be A Sucker
- By constructivefeedback on 02-07-12
By: George K. Simon
What listeners say about The Secret Life of Pronouns
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- WordNerd
- 06-02-12
Interesting exploration of language subtleties
I enjoyed Pennebaker's research and insight into how the "little words" we use, those sly little buggers like articles and pronouns, have such a big impact on the messages we convey and receive, and how we process them primarily through our subconscious mind. The dissection of corporate and political communications he used as examples throughout helped to clarify and reinforce his points.
The narration was a good match for the material. The narrator's pace, diction and inflection complemented the content and gave it life, delivering Pennebaker's subtle humor in just the right manner and reading more like a story than a dry research paper. There were a few areas, such as where he touched upon forensics, that started down the academic path, but for the most part the writing was as entertaining as it was informative and enlightening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jim Fuqua
- 02-15-15
Great Book!
This is an informative book that is a bit difficult to take at one time.
It would be easy to say that the author could have presented the same material in a much shorter book. That would be possibly true for the general thrust of this book, but there were so many very good bits and pieces that would have been omitted, that I prefer it as written.
I listened to this book about thirty minutes at a time. When I started thinking I was hearing more that I wanted to know I shifted to another book for the day. In hindsight, I can say that I am glad that I listened to the entire book.
This author obviously had the help of a large number of graduate students helping or extending his research. He is also extremely knowledgeable about many facets of human behavior.
This is a book about how we use language and what our choice of words says about how we think, but it is much more. This is as much a book about people and how they behave as it is about pronouns and other simple English words.
Jim Fuqua
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Micah Balch
- 08-23-19
Interesting information
I just finished a book about non-verbal language a few days ago so after reading this book I’m pretty sure nobody is ever gonna fool me again, right? By the the way I highly recommend this book if you’re interesting in the subject.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Heather Robinson
- 01-11-24
Amazing Insight to Seemingly Mundane Information
Very interesting material on how people give themselves away without ever realizing it. Presented in an easy to follow, concise, and enjoyable manner. Highly recommend for those who love to look behind the curtain to see how things really work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lynn
- 09-24-12
Sticks and Stones and Words Can Really Help You
James Pennebaker has surprised me with a little book titled, The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us. I got through the first chapter or so and discovered that it is a really informative book. Stay with me now! This book is not about pronouns, per se, but about what our use of pronouns says about our behavior. He reports his empirical research in the field of words and applies his findings to everyday work and life. Along the way, he reveals how writing our thoughts can help alleviate tension, improve health, and relieve depression. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on words in organizations where Pennebaker distinguishes between “I”, “we” and “they” organizations. Valuable as well is the chapter in which he provides short-cuts to using the insights he has covered to understanding daily encounters with colleagues and friends. The audio book is read by Rober Fass to advantage. There are numerous refereces to PDFs which are readily available. I just kept listening and could follow the basic arguments and ideas readily without them. This book is well worth your time. Turn a few pages and see if there isn’t insight you can use.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- GSW
- 06-11-24
Interesting look on the English language
Interesting look on the English language. These really are hidden little clues. It helps if you know quite about about nouns, conjunctions, predicates, etc
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!