Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives: Amazon.co.uk: Richard Wiseman: Books

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Product Description

The Times
'entertaining and energetic...packed with vignettes that are
perfect for dinner parties or pub conversations.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Guardian
'Wiseman's easy-going divertissement recounts numerous curiosities
of modern psycology.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

28 Reviews

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

115 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arm yourself now for the Christmas cocktail parties, 1 Dec 2007

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

This review is from: Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives (Hardcover)

Recently I read an article in a magazine which was about the art of making small talk at parties. One of the suggestions that it made was to take note of interesting facts or stories to bring up if the conversation stalls. The example given was a study in which men and women were asked which superpower they would like to possess. Top of the women's list was being invisible, while men were far more likely to want to be able to fly. Not only is this an interesting nugget of information, it also immediately stimulates discussion.

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, you will love this book. (It even includes a list of the factoids most likely to prompt discussion). Psychologist Richard Wiseman has conducted a number of studies over the years looking into the ways that people behave and also reports on some other people's experiments. Some of the things that I learned while reading this book were:
- How asking people to trace the letter Q on their forehead is a good predictor of how good a liar they are.
- How our memories can be tricked into creating false memories and why this happens.
- How a waiter can dramatically increase his chances of getting a tip.
- Why you are more likely to be attracted to people when you're in a precarious situation that elevates your heart-rate (so maybe Hollywood storylines aren't so far-fetched after all)
- That words containing the "K" sound are especially likely to make people laugh, because of the way they contort the facial muscles.

The book is written in a lively and entertaining fashion and in parts is very amusing. While it's quite disjointed, it held my interest throughout. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest why people behave the way they do. Our behaviour is more predictable than we think.

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58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Fun, 12 May 2007

By	Happy Reader (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives (Hardcover)

Get this book if you want to see yourself and others in a completely new light! Quirkology is about weird, wonderful, and sometimes rather disturbing psychological experiments that reveal our true nature: what makes us help others (or, more often, help ourselves); why we are so poor at detecting when our partner cheats on us; what subtle factors influence our judgements - for instance about guilt and innocence, or about what leader to elect. There's not a shred of padding, and the reader is quickly hooked into wanting to know what happens next. It's not only fascinating, but fun to read: be prepared to be caught out when you least expect it by the author's sly sense of humour. The book also contains built-in experiments and demos so you can experience quirky psychology at first hand. Come on, get quirky: you'll love it!

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54 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The things that scientists spend their time on... , 28 May 2007

By	Peacock Wings (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives (Hardcover)

Usually we associate scientists with people working in a lab trying to find a cure for cancer, HIV, hair baldness or any other of a number of ills. Or else they are dabbling in high-tech equipment trying to explore the ultimate questions like the shape of the universe, time-travel and the unifying field theory - things way beyond a normal person's ken.
In contrast, this book is fresh, understandable and exciting. Full to the brim with psychological studies that are anything from interesting to amusing, this book delves not only into the quirkier aspects of human behaviour, but also into some of the quirkier studies that scientists get up to (when no one is looking).
A few examples to illustrate my point:
Quack (as opposed to Moo, Grrr or Woof) is perceived to be the most funny animal sound. Apparently, it's because a `k' sound makes you smile and therefore others with you. A good one to remember for job interviews...
By monitoring behaviour at checkout queues, where you are only allowed to have 10 items (and most people, invariably have 12 or 15), scientists discovered that the people most likely to break minor rules of conduct (which includes speed limits) are female van drivers. Now you know what to beware of when driving!
The book is packed with many more such examples, all with comments on how the findings could be explained.
Ultimately the book is much more than just a series of weird facts and fantastical experiments. As with all good science (and this belongs to the best), it tells us something very relevant about us - our hopes, fears and those mannerisms we just don't seem to be able to shake. Thus, it opens up a whole new way of looking at others - and yourself.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Really nteresting but I would have liked more information
I thought this book was a really interesting and, well, quirky. I would have preferred it longer and I think he should have gone into more detail on certain facts to explain why... Read more

Published 10 days ago by Jessica Wright

4.0 out of 5 stars what an interesting read!
This is certainly one of the most interesting books that I have read in recent years.
Its writing style is accessible and doesn't assume anything of its readers and it... Read more

Published 13 days ago by J. Butler

4.0 out of 5 stars It is a very good book, but not the best of its kind.
This is a very fun and easy to read book.
It is full of psychological experiments that reveal the way we act at everyday actions. Read more

Published 14 days ago by George Spiros

2.0 out of 5 stars Not that quirky
I have to say I had high expectations after reading all the reviews. I was bitterly disappointed. Most of what is discussed in the book did not come as news to me. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Y. Khatib

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
I often purchase books on psychology just because I am interested in the subject and not for specific study purpose, this book is one of the best psychology books I have read. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Campbell79

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!
Wiseman certainly chose the right title for this book - it is quirktastic! As he takes us on a journey through the bizarre, surreal and fascinating world of everyday phenomena,... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mrs. C. Fearon

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat so-so social psychology scrapbook
As the tiresome TV-friendly title implies, this is designed to be a fairly random selection of snippets from social psychology research served up for lightweight dinner-party chit... Read more

Published 2 months ago by C. Young

3.0 out of 5 stars Does what it says!
Enjoyed this book non the less it's nothing more than a quirky read, learnt nothing i probably didn't already know. Will kill a few boring hours!

Published 2 months ago by Peppermint Patty

3.0 out of 5 stars The honesty of the British public
I dislike researches intensely as they seem to dictate our lives. Constantly these "Experts" are no more than b/s'ers and their trash can be seen in our newspapers quoting "that... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Frank Candour

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychology with an "S"
Glad I bought it. Very informative, entertaining and interesting. Some of the topics you may have heard of before but this book puts a different slant on everyday living. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Wavewobbler

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	66% buy the item featured on this page: Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives 4.4 out of 5 stars (28) �4.79
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