
The Wisest One in the Room
How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology's Most Powerful Insights
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
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Chris Sorensen
About this listen
Renowned psychologists describe the most useful insights from social psychology that can help make you "wise" - wise about why people behave the way they do, and wise about how to use that knowledge in understanding and influencing the people in your life.
When faced with a challenge, we often turn to those we trust for words of wisdom. Friends, relatives, and colleagues - someone with the best advice about how to boost sales, the most useful insights into raising children, or the sharpest take on an ongoing conflict.
In The Wisest One in the Room, renowned social psychologists Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross ask, Why? What do these people know? What are the foundations of their wisdom? And, as professors and researchers who specialize in the study of human behavior, they wonder: What general principles of human psychology are they drawing on to reach these conclusions? They begin by noting that wisdom, unlike intelligence, demands some insight into people - their hopes, fears, passions, and drives. It's true for the executive running a Fortune 500 company, the candidate seeking public office, the artist trying to create work that will speak to the ages, or the single parent trying to get a child through the tumultuous adolescent years. To be wise, they maintain, one must be psych-wise.
©2015 Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross (P)2015 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)
- Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts
- By: Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson
- Narrated by: Marsha Mercant, Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up? Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right? Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? Are we all liars? Or do we really believe the stories we tell? Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception.
-
-
Excellent insights, but a little too long
- By Anand on 11-11-12
By: Carol Tavris, and others
-
The Confidence Game
- Why We Fall for It...Every Time
- By: Maria Konnikova
- Narrated by: Maria Konnikova
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think you can’t get conned? Think again. The New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you. A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists - and the people who fall for their cons over and over again. From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives.
-
-
The Confidence Game = major disappointment
- By Nicole Kiess on 02-16-16
By: Maria Konnikova
-
How Our Brains Betray Us
- Change the Way You Think and Make Better Decisions by Understanding the Cognitive Biases and Heuristics That Destroy Our Lives!
- By: Magnus McDaniels
- Narrated by: Cody Davids
- Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tired of making decisions that seem to only work against you? It starts with understanding your brain and the decision-making process. Cognitive biases and heuristics have developed over thousands of years of evolution and can lead to serious damages in multiple areas of life if you don’t recognize them and stop them dead in their tracks. How Our Brains Betray Us has everything you need to know with examples, tools, and strategies to identify the most powerful cognitive biases that impair all types of decisions, how to avoid them and also use them to your advantage.
-
-
Good and tight collection of your biases
- By Karvinen on 11-05-24
By: Magnus McDaniels
-
How to Change
- The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
- By: Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth - foreword
- Narrated by: Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Change comes most readily when you understand what's standing between you and success and tailor your solution to that roadblock. If you want to work out more but find exercise difficult and boring, downloading a goal-setting app probably won't help. But what if, instead, you transformed your workouts so they became a source of pleasure instead of a chore? Turning an uphill battle into a downhill one is the key to success.
-
-
Finally, actionable steps
- By lisa on 05-05-21
By: Katy Milkman, and others
-
David and Goliath
- Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
- By: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives, from the best-selling author of The Bomber Mafia. Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won. Or should he have?
-
-
The Art of (Unconventional) War
- By Cynthia on 10-04-13
By: Malcolm Gladwell
-
Misbelief
- What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis—from social media to larger political challenges, from casual conversations in supermarkets, to even our closest relationships. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex—far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve—and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth. In Misbelief, preeminent social scientist Dan Ariely argues that to understand the irrational appeal of misinformation, we must first understand the behavior of “misbelief”.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Tamara Aviv on 10-02-23
By: Dan Ariely
-
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)
- Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts
- By: Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson
- Narrated by: Marsha Mercant, Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up? Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right? Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? Are we all liars? Or do we really believe the stories we tell? Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception.
-
-
Excellent insights, but a little too long
- By Anand on 11-11-12
By: Carol Tavris, and others
-
The Confidence Game
- Why We Fall for It...Every Time
- By: Maria Konnikova
- Narrated by: Maria Konnikova
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Think you can’t get conned? Think again. The New York Times best-selling author of Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes explains how to spot the con before they spot you. A compelling investigation into the minds, motives, and methods of con artists - and the people who fall for their cons over and over again. From multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, Konnikova pulls together a selection of fascinating stories to demonstrate what all cons share in common, drawing on scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives.
-
-
The Confidence Game = major disappointment
- By Nicole Kiess on 02-16-16
By: Maria Konnikova
-
How Our Brains Betray Us
- Change the Way You Think and Make Better Decisions by Understanding the Cognitive Biases and Heuristics That Destroy Our Lives!
- By: Magnus McDaniels
- Narrated by: Cody Davids
- Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tired of making decisions that seem to only work against you? It starts with understanding your brain and the decision-making process. Cognitive biases and heuristics have developed over thousands of years of evolution and can lead to serious damages in multiple areas of life if you don’t recognize them and stop them dead in their tracks. How Our Brains Betray Us has everything you need to know with examples, tools, and strategies to identify the most powerful cognitive biases that impair all types of decisions, how to avoid them and also use them to your advantage.
-
-
Good and tight collection of your biases
- By Karvinen on 11-05-24
By: Magnus McDaniels
-
How to Change
- The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
- By: Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth - foreword
- Narrated by: Katy Milkman, Angela Duckworth
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Change comes most readily when you understand what's standing between you and success and tailor your solution to that roadblock. If you want to work out more but find exercise difficult and boring, downloading a goal-setting app probably won't help. But what if, instead, you transformed your workouts so they became a source of pleasure instead of a chore? Turning an uphill battle into a downhill one is the key to success.
-
-
Finally, actionable steps
- By lisa on 05-05-21
By: Katy Milkman, and others
-
David and Goliath
- Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
- By: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Explore the power of the underdog in Malcolm Gladwell's dazzling examination of success, motivation, and the role of adversity in shaping our lives, from the best-selling author of The Bomber Mafia. Three thousand years ago on a battlefield in ancient Palestine, a shepherd boy felled a mighty warrior with nothing more than a stone and a sling, and ever since then the names of David and Goliath have stood for battles between underdogs and giants. David's victory was improbable and miraculous. He shouldn't have won. Or should he have?
-
-
The Art of (Unconventional) War
- By Cynthia on 10-04-13
By: Malcolm Gladwell
-
Misbelief
- What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis—from social media to larger political challenges, from casual conversations in supermarkets, to even our closest relationships. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex—far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve—and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth. In Misbelief, preeminent social scientist Dan Ariely argues that to understand the irrational appeal of misinformation, we must first understand the behavior of “misbelief”.
-
-
Horrible narrator
- By Tamara Aviv on 10-02-23
By: Dan Ariely
-
How Minds Change
- The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion
- By: David McRaney
- Narrated by: David McRaney
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What made a prominent conspiracy-theorist YouTuber finally see that 9/11 was not a hoax? Can you finally have a productive conversation about politics with your uncle at the next family gathering? How does an ordinary person find the courage to leave a cult? Can widespread social change only take place when a generation dies out?
-
-
Fascinating, nuanced, well-written, but…
- By Jason J. Gay on 08-13-22
By: David McRaney
-
Predictably Irrational
- The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
- By: Dan Ariely
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
-
-
Good lessons, mediocre science?
- By William Stanger on 02-24-09
By: Dan Ariely
-
The Delusions of Crowds
- Why People Go Mad in Groups
- By: William J. Bernstein
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by Charles Mackay's 19th-century classic Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Bernstein engages with mass delusion with the same curiosity and passion, but armed with the latest scientific research that explains the biological, evolutionary, and psychosocial roots of human irrationality.
-
-
The Illusion of Delusions
- By Bill on 02-12-22
-
How the Mind Works
- By: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
-
-
Excellent, but a difficult listen.
- By David Roseberry on 12-11-11
By: Steven Pinker
-
Learn like a Pro
- Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything
- By: Barbara Oakley PhD, Olav Schewe
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dr. Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe have both struggled in the past with their learning. But they have found techniques to help them master any material. Building on insights from neuroscience and cognitive psychology, they give you a crash course to improve your ability to learn, no matter what the subject is.
-
-
Solid steps for students; trickier for adults
- By Drew on 05-16-22
By: Barbara Oakley PhD, and others
-
The Mindful Body
- Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health
- By: Ellen J. Langer
- Narrated by: Subhadra Newton
- Length: 7 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Can changing your thoughts improve your health? We tend to live our lives as though our ailments—our stiff knees or frayed nerves or diminished eyesight—can change only in one direction: for the worse. Award-winning social psychologist Ellen J. Langer’s life’s work proves the fault in this negative outlook as well as the healing power of its alternative: mindfulness—the process of active noticing where we are not bound by past experience or conventional wisdom. In The Mindful Body, Dr. Langer unpacks her assumption-busting findings and outlines her bold new theory of mind-body unity.
-
-
Refreshing Information That Older Folks Will Appreciate
- By David L. Kendall on 09-17-23
By: Ellen J. Langer
-
The Expectation Effect
- How Your Mindset Can Change Your World
- By: David Robson
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Melding neuroscience with narrative, science journalist David Robson takes lstenersi on a deep dive into the many life zones the expectation effect permeates. We see how people who believe stress is beneficial become more creative when placed under strain. We see how associating aging with wisdom can add seven plus years to your life. People say seeing is believing but, over and over, Robson proves that the converse is truer: Believing is seeing.
-
-
Every leader and teacher must read!
- By Myron Golden on 09-18-22
By: David Robson
-
Thinking, Fast and Slow
- By: Daniel Kahneman
- Narrated by: Patrick Egan
- Length: 20 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The guru to the gurus at last shares his knowledge with the rest of us. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman's seminal studies in behavioral psychology, behavioral economics, and happiness studies have influenced numerous other authors, including Steven Pinker and Malcolm Gladwell. In Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman at last offers his own, first book for the general public. It is a lucid and enlightening summary of his life's work. It will change the way you think about thinking. Two systems drive the way we think and make choices, Kahneman explains....
-
-
Difficult Listen, but Probably a Great Read
- By Mike Kircher on 01-12-12
By: Daniel Kahneman
-
Creativity
- The Psychology of Discovery and Invention
- By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reveals what leads to these moments - be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab - so that this knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on nearly 100 interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his 30 years of research, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process.
-
-
squishy
- By GoingGoingGone... on 07-06-16
-
Influence, New and Expanded
- The Psychology of Persuasion
- By: Robert B. Cialdini
- Narrated by: Robert B. Cialdini
- Length: 20 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the new edition of this highly acclaimed bestseller, Robert Cialdini—New York Times bestselling author of Pre-Suasion and the seminal expert in the fields of influence and persuasion—explains the psychology of why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically in business and everyday settings. You'll learn Cialdini's Universal Principles of Influence, including new research and new uses so you can become an even more skilled persuader—and just as importantly, you'll learn how to defend yourself against unethical influence attempts.
-
-
Use the Audible Speed Feature!
- By Sand on 05-30-21
-
Originals
- How Non-Conformists Move the World
- By: Adam Grant, Sheryl Sandberg - foreword
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders, Susan Denaker
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Give and Take, Adam Grant not only introduced a landmark new paradigm for success but also established himself as one of his generation’s most compelling and provocative thought leaders. In Originals he again addresses the challenge of improving the world, but now from the perspective of becoming original: choosing to champion novel ideas and values that go against the grain, battle conformity, and buck outdated traditions. How can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?
-
-
Interesting, but not science
- By Lloyd Fassett on 03-14-16
By: Adam Grant, and others
-
Thinking in Bets
- Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
- By: Annie Duke
- Narrated by: Annie Duke
- Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the most controversial calls in football history: With 26 seconds remaining, and trailing by four at the Patriots' one-yard line, he called for a pass instead of a handing off to his star running back. The pass was intercepted, and the Seahawks lost. Critics called it the dumbest play in history. But was the call really that bad? Or did Carroll actually make a great move that was ruined by bad luck? Even the best decision doesn't yield the best outcome every time.
-
-
Wasn't For Me
- By ❤️One.Crazy&Cool.Family❤️ on 09-04-18
By: Annie Duke
What listeners say about The Wisest One in the Room
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-20-23
Good coaching but too political at the end
Worth the investment but the 10th chapter felt more like a sermon and “if you disagree you just aren’t as smart as me” statement. Could have easily used the same subject as a case study for influencing people instead of talking down to them.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- James Payton
- 01-16-25
Very good until…..
The authors wrote a good book until the end and seeds throughout. The Authors pushed a very biased position on Global warming and argued legacy media supports lol and lifted up scientist that support and not those scientists that oppose. I was very disappointed in the hard stance and biased position.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pete
- 11-05-23
Not what I hoped for.
I was hoping for inspiration but the information was presented in such a dry manner it was a challenge to finish the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Spaghetti
- 02-17-23
Boring
Picked the wrong book to follow up Walter Isaacson’s Leonardo da Vinci. Book is not only boring rehash of well-known basic social psychology but the voice of the narrator is horribly boring. Great title but disappointing content.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-03-21
too facile. too much attention to experiments
I was disappointed. I expected a more friendly approach. Also they claimed too much for experiments about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. opening story promised a more insightful and palatable tale. They do not address the inadequacies of drawing conclusions from university students who participate in their trials.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-09-23
Climate Hoax
A 10 hours and six minute book. Only to get 50 minutes from the end to find out the real agenda in this book (Climate Hoax)
Just for the record, I do believe in climate change God‘s version
 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
There’s not enough dirt people in this world to stop this from happening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Geoffrey
- 02-04-22
VERY disappointed in climate change coverage
Plenty of interesting, engaging, and research-based findings on behavioural psychology presented in a thought-provoking way.
VERY disappointed that it devolves into the authors pushing their opinion on climate change being settled science and anthropogenic. This despite this being far outside their field of expertise. And they contradict a fundamental tenant of scientific exploration that is central to the ideas shared in this book: science is never "settled". Science is meant to challenge itself, especially its most firmly held ideas. We are constantly gaining new learning and experience that should be carefully considered and used to challenge our current views of the world around us.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Douglas C. Bates
- 05-02-16
Not Really About Wisdom. Nothing New Here.
"The Wisest One in the Room" is a rehash of almost every interesting finding of social psychology research. No new research is presented. All the authors have done is to attempt to reposition knowledge of these findings as wisdom. The attempt almost completely fails, and quite glaringly so when it tries to transition from the anecdote at the beginning of the book about Eisenhower and D-Day to the main body of the book, not one bit of which has any explanatory power about the introductory anecdote.
If one has not read much in social psychology, then this book might be as good as any of several others to give an overview of some of the most interesting findings of the field. It's not actually a bad book. It's just an unnecessary one.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Frankie B
- 12-04-17
For liberals only
Overall, I enjoyed the book until the last 90 minutes. The author focused on climate change and if you do not believe in climate change, you are a science denier and you do not have rational thought. I do not believe it is helpful once you start labeling one side and calling them unwise. I do believe in climate change, however, I do not feel calling the other side names is extremely helpful when debating the issue.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful