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Think Like a Freak: The Authors of…
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Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain (edition 2014)

by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Series: Freakonomics (3)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,808719,433 (3.65)19
Business. Psychology. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationallyâ??to think, that is, like a Freak.

Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.

Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:

  • First, put away your moral compassâ??because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it.
  • Learn to say "I don't know"â??for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to.
  • Think like a childâ??because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions.
  • Take a master class in incentivesâ??because for better or worse, incentives rule our world.
  • Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuadedâ??because being right is rarely enough to carry the day.
  • Learn to appreciate the upside of quittingâ??because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealingâ??and s… (more)

Member:SJenkins
Title:Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain
Authors:Steven D. Levitt
Other authors:Stephen J. Dubner
Info:William Morrow (2014), Hardcover, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

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Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt

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» See also 19 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 73 (next | show all)
I liked the stories and the writing style, but was disappointed that a lot of content is repeated from the authors' previous books. There were a lot of fun anecdotes but the book didn't quite live up to the promise of changing the way I think. ( )
  yaj70 | Jan 22, 2024 |
A simultaneously "light" and stimulating read.

Some random thoughts after reading the book:
The soccer penalty kick: Why we don’t we kick to the center of the goal?
Saying “I don’t know”, and admitting you don’t know what the REAL problem is.
Cobra farming in India.
Zappo’s and the quitting bonus.
Cold beer in the Jewish bullet factory.
Why should suicide bombers buy life insurance?
Use stories to persuade others. And know that anecdotes are NOT stories.
David Lee Roth’s “no brown M&M’s rule”.

I could go on, or you could read the book.
OK
( )
  jjbinkc | Aug 27, 2023 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Freakonomics remains one of the best media properties out there on economics and human studies. This book is fascinating and represents the basis for the podcast and other stories that have been made available since publication.
  ungarop | Oct 3, 2022 |
Not as earth shattering as their last two books, and the advice is mostly rather obvious, but still a good reminder to think about how we think. Admit when you don't know. Think small. Put away your moral compass. Think like a child. Understand incentives. Quit.
( )
  RandomWally | Jun 6, 2022 |
The idea behind this book is great. I really enjoy both of the previous Freak books. The insights here are ok but just not 100% what I was hoping to read. ( )
  Tara1117 | Apr 29, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 73 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (26 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Levitt, Steven D.primary authorall editionsconfirmed
Dubner, Stephen J.main authorall editionsconfirmed
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For Ellen

who has been there for everything,

including the books.

--SJD
For my sister, Linda Leavitt Jines,

whose creative genius amazed,

amused, and inspired me

--SDL
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After writing Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics, we started to hear from readers with all sorts of questions.
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Wikipedia in English (3)

Business. Psychology. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling Freakonomics changed the way we see the world, exposing the hidden side of just about everything. Then came SuperFreakonomics, a documentary film, an award-winning podcast, and more.

Now, with Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have written their most revolutionary book yet. With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, they take us inside their thought process and teach us all to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationallyâ??to think, that is, like a Freak.

Levitt and Dubner offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. As always, no topic is off-limits. They range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you'll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they're from Nigeria.

Some of the steps toward thinking like a Freak:

First, put away your moral compassâ??because it's hard to see a problem clearly if you've already decided what to do about it. Learn to say "I don't know"â??for until you can admit what you don't yet know, it's virtually impossible to learn what you need to. Think like a childâ??because you'll come up with better ideas and ask better questions. Take a master class in incentivesâ??because for better or worse, incentives rule our world. Learn to persuade people who don't want to be persuadedâ??because being right is rarely enough to carry the day. Learn to appreciate the upside of quittingâ??because you can't solve tomorrow's problem if you aren't willing to abandon today's dud.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealingâ??and s

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