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Product Description

Mail on Sunday

`Richard Wiseman offers quick and quirky techniques to help people achieve their aims and ambitions in minutes.'

New Scientist

`This is a self-help book, but with a difference: almost everything in it is underpinned by peer-reviewed and often fascinating research.'

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

194 of 203 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Please drink a cup of coffee before reading this review, 11 Jul 2009

By	Julia Flyte - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is an easy and enjoyable book to read - the kind that you can dip in and out of, picking up interesting tips along the way. For each topic, Wiseman discusses a number of research experiments (both his own and ones done by others) and then gives a number of concrete suggestions on how you can quickly implement these findings - although 59 seconds is often a stretch. And why the title of this review? Because one of the things I learned from reading this book was the fact that if you've just had a caffeinated drink, you are far more likely to be swayed by someone else's opinion!

The book is based on the premise that quick techniques can sometimes be surprisingly effective at helping us to change and explains (based on research studies) which ones work and which don't. Some examples that I found interesting were:
- a simple five day writing exercise that can lift your mood for several weeks (essentially a more structured gratitude diary)
- how spending money on experiences is a far more effective way to make yourself happy than spending it on things
- how punching a pillow to relieve anger actually increases your anger, while sitting quietly and thinking about how you benefited (or at least learned) from the experience has the opposite effect
- conversational techniques that can build instant rapport on a first date (the trick is to use topics that create intimacy)
- exercises to stimulate the unconscious mind that lead to better decision making
- simple tests to assess your child's emotional intelligence.

Like Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives, the book also has lots of facts that seem to have been included just because they're interesting. So we learn that people with bumper stickers are more aggressive drivers, that having a photo of a baby in your wallet significantly increases the chance of it being returned if you lose it, that your initials can influence your life expectancy and that adding plants to an office increases the number of creative ideas that employees will have.

The chapter list gives a good indication of the subjects covered in the book:
1. Happiness
2. Persuasion
3. Motivation
4. Creativity
5. Attraction
6. Stress
7. Relationships
8. Decision Making
9. Parenting
10. Personality

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51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Research And Destroy, 22 Jul 2009

By	Charles Vasey (London, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Richard Wiseman has journeyed into the badlands of self-help books with a train of porters carrying academic research on what actually does work when it comes to fulfilling all those rather grandiose goals(losing weight, finding (or indeed fighting as I first typed) the perfect mate, or becoming hugely rich and impossibly attractive). One effect of this is that he packs a lot more advice into the book because the researchers finish off rather quickly some of the wackier (but sadly ineffective) theories that are often used to pad out self-help manuals.

The book therefore has at least two uses. Firstly, it is amusing to see what does work and why it might work (one needs to be careful in assuming the rationales have the same degree of scientific rigour). Secondly, there is some very good advice in here if you want to deal with various problems. My favourites are smiling in front of the mirror with a pencil between your teeth (increases well-being) and the starting a difficult task so you get sucked into finishing it (defeats procrastination). Something that entertains and informs, I recommend it.

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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought a little, loved the book!, 15 Aug 2009

By	Doncastrian lad (Doncaster, England) - See all my reviews

I bought the book having listened to Richard talking about it on Radio Four one morning. I found most of the facts interesting and concentrated on the ones that interested me the most. I found the tips both interesting, useful and practical. I've read a lot of the self help books and doubted the effectiveness of them, finding many being too airy-fairy and , frankly, classic cases of wishful thinking. It's a good book, buy it within the next 59 seconds. You won't regret it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A bit disappointing
Wiseman basically takes a bunch of other people's studies and lumps the into one book. Unfortunately, if you've ever read any other books loosely related to this subject you would... Read more

Published 12 days ago by JMF

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Wiseman book...
Richard Wiseman addresses self help psychology from a scientific and research based perspective. This is a great book for those skeptical of the 'positive thinking' approach to... Read more

Published 15 days ago by Roger Fielding

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirkology Was No One Hit Wonder: Well Done Professor Wiseman!
Most would agree that Quirkology: The Curious Science Of Everyday Lives was a brilliant book. So, given its strength, I bought 'Did You Spot The Gorilla' and was very disappointed... Read more

Published 15 days ago by Mr. T. White

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a quick browse
I wouldn't say it was the most earth shattering book I've read on the topic, but if you want a quick, easy to read refresher on how to be more effective, save time and be happier,... Read more

Published 15 days ago by sg perry

1.0 out of 5 stars A Customer
This book was a disappointment. The author quoted lots of academic studies which made it hard work to read. Read more

Published 18 days ago by Alter ipse amicus

4.0 out of 5 stars 59 Seconds Well Spent
True, Richard Wiseman's book is quirky and frequently entertaining to the point that you could read 59 Seconds just for fun - but I feel you'd miss out on the lessons within if... Read more

Published 1 month ago by S L Jorgensen

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting book
very interesting book for someone, who didnt have psychology on uni and also good reminder for people who had :)
book is written in simple language and its not boring at all... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Katarzyna Domzalska

1.0 out of 5 stars 59 seconds but still a waist of time
There are just too many books, these days, where authors think it is sufficient to endlessly quote findings in social and other psychology. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Philip Spriet

5.0 out of 5 stars myth buster
This is a great read and explodes to rubbish we have been fed for years by the self help industry. If you need to change something in your life the tips in here will make it... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mrs. Teresa Mackinnon

5.0 out of 5 stars 59 Seconds is a brilliant book!
I thoroughly recommend 59 Seconds - it is very readable, and full of great ideas that can easily be included into a busy schedule! Read more

Published 2 months ago by J. Wilson

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	66% buy the item featured on this page: 59 Seconds: Think a little, change a lot 4.0 out of 5 stars (34) �5.84
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