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Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things Hardcover – August 27, 2007

by Richard Wiseman (Author)

4.3 347 ratings

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For over twenty years, psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman has examined the quirky science of everyday life. In Quirkology , he navigates the backwaters of human behavior, discovering the tell-tale signs that give away a liar, the secret science behind speed-dating and personal ads, and what a person's sense of humor reveals about the innermost workings of their mind- all along paying tribute to others who have carried out similarly weird and wonderful work. Wiseman's research has involved secretly observing people as they go about their daily business, conducting unusual experiments in art exhibitions and music concerts, and even staging fake séances in allegedly haunted buildings. With thousands of research subjects from all over the world, including enamored couples, unwitting pedestrians, and guileless dinner guests, Wiseman presents a fun, clever, and unexpected picture of the human mind.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Basic Books
Publication date

August 27, 2007
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

0465090796
ISBN-13

978-0465090792
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Wiseman, Ph.D., is the first and only Professor of Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is also a practicing magician and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. Wiseman has published over forty papers in academic journals and gained an international reputation for research into unusual areas of psychology, including deception, luck, and the paranormal. He is the author of eight books, including The Luck Factor , which has been sold in twenty-five countries. He lives in Hertfordshire, England.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (August 27, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0465090796
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465090792
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,736,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,594 in Medical Applied Psychology
- #2,015 in Popular Applied Psychology
- #7,777 in Medical General Psychology

Customer Reviews:
4.3 347 ratings

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Richard Wiseman

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Richard Wiseman is Britain's only professor for the Public Understanding of Psychology and has an international reputation for his research into unusual areas including deception, luck, humour and the paranormal. He is the psychologist most frequently quoted by the British media and his research has been featured on over 150 television programmes in the UK. He is regularly heard on Radio 4 and feature articles about his work have appeared prominently throughout the national press.

Photo by BDEngler (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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347 global ratings

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Warren G

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2010

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I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I bought this book, but it turned out to be a lot like the book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.) - only Dr. Wiseman's book is much, much better. Wiseman says that: "Put simply, quirkology uses scientific methods to study the more curious aspects of everyday life. This approach to psychology has been pioneered by a few researchers over the past hundred years who have followed in Galton's footsteps and had the courage to explore the places mainstream scientists avoid."

Hopefully the chapters can give you a gist as to what you will find in this book: Chapter 1 - What does your date of birth really say about you?, The New Science of Chronopsychology; Chapter 2 - Trust everyone, but always cut the cards, The Psychology of Lying and Deception; Chapter 3 - Believing six impossible things before breakfast, Psychology Enters the Twilight Zone; Chapter 4 - Making your mind up, The Strange Science of Decision Making; Chapter 5 - The scientific search for the world's funniest joke, Explorations into the Psychology of Humor; Chapter 6 - Sinner or saint?, The Psychology of When We Help and When we Hinder; Chapter 7 - The pace of life and other quirkological oddities, The Future of Quirkology.

In short, this is a terrific book. In many respects it shares a lot in common with not only Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, but also books like Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions (Revised & Expanded Edition) , The Mind of the Market: How Biology and Psychology Shape Our Economic Lives , Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average and How We Decide . I highly recommend this book and also recommend Wiseman's newest book, 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot (Borzoi Books) . I would definitely have given this book 5 starts even if it only had included the chapters on Lying and Deception and The Scientific Search for the World's Funniest Joke - the whole book is hilarious, entertaining and above all, informative. This is a truly great read.

16 people found this helpful

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L. F. Smith

Entertaining and thought provoking

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2009

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This book is an extremely entertaining work of what one might call applied pop psychology. The author is an experimental psychologist and professor of psychology. However, he's devoted his career to the study of what he calls "quirkology," the questions about why we do and think what we do in our ordinary lives. This book is his discussion of dozens of experiments he and others have performed, all of which rely on unusual-- sometimes VERY unusual-- research designs and methodology.

In one sense, this is very serious stuff. After all, what's more important than understanding why we are the way we are? On the other hand, this is also silly stuff. Is it important to know why some personal ads work and other don't? Or what the funniest joke in the world is?

This is where the pop psychology comes in. The experiments are presented in rapid fire, some in a paragraph or two, others in a whole chapter. Almost everything is fully footnoted, so it would be possible to find all of the original, complete papers about each experiment. However, nothing much is systematic, and the emphasis is clearly on entertainment.

That's why I really enjoyed reading the book. The author never takes himself too seriously, and he obviously loves his work-- and, probably more importantly, his experimental subjects and the experimenters he works with. Just imagine: If you were a grad student assigned to most psychology professors, you would no doubt spend your time running rats through mazes and analyzing data. If you were one of Wisedman's grad students, you might well find yourself standing at an intersection, wearing a rented chicken suit, pointing to a poster of a joke.

In summary, I really enjoyed the book, and I recommend it. But it is pop psychology.

2 people found this helpful

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Aisling D.

Great writing, amazing trivia and footnotes!

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2014

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I bought this out of curiosity. Then, I started reading it. I was awake half the night, reading it. I could not put it down.

The biggest surprise was how useful this book is. I expected fun trivia, and it includes that. However, I didn't expect several "quirks" related to my current work and interests. Even better, the depth of coverage and references (for additional research) make this book really useful.

A lot of books jump from one cool fact to the next. This book not only covers the facts, it supplies supporting (and conflicting) evidence, ties it all together nicely, and goes into considerable depth on each topic.

I'll keep this book on my reference shelf, and buy everything Wiseman writes. The writing is brilliant but accessible, and a perfect mix of academic coverage with the kinds of quirky, wonderful details that make this a page-turner.

Whether you buy "Quirkology" to read for fun, for research, or to give you great trivia for future conversations, this book is a winner.

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2013

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I read this book in german and now got it for my boyfriend, who speaks english. i thought it was a really interesting book. And i like the fact that you dont have to read the whole book at once. The chapter arent as long, so you can read everyday while you have a little time for it. I like those kinds of books and Richard Wiseman has a nice way of describing things. I read other kinds like this before which werent as nice to read. I am on a second one of R. Wiseman and i enjoy it just as much. So for someone who like those kinds of book with interesting little studys in it, go for it!

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2009

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Dr Wiseman takes the brave step of researching those common things that we are always asking ourselves why they happen. Brave, as it is not mainstream research. However, it is important as it allows you to get a better vieew of how society works. Do not forget to read and write down the last chapter!

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Nicholas FRANKLIN

First book of a brilliant author, not my favorite and he has made huge improvements

Reviewed in Spain on November 10, 2019

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I discovered Richard Wiseman from a reference in another book, so when I saw it on Amazon suggestion I bought it. I started with 59s and rip it up. I loved the fact that they are self help books based on science, to the point, and written in an easy to read and to the point fashion.
This book however was a desappointment... Nothing really useful, and quite academic (understand long and boring)...
That's still a 66% satisfaction, so I'll read more books of him, hoping they are more like the first two I read...

ermanno

great!

Reviewed in Italy on February 24, 2019

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that's psychology