Quirkology How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things

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Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2008-09-30
Publisher(s): Basic Books
List Price: $23.76

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Summary

For over twenty years, psychologist Richard Wiseman has examined the quirky science of everyday life. InQuirkology, he navigates the oddities of human behavior, explaining 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 his or her mindall 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 seances 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.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

List of Figuresp. ix
Prologue: The Mysterious Q-Testp. xi
Introduction: Exploring the Backwaters of the Human Brainp. 1
What Does Your Date of Birth Really Say About You?: The New Science of Chronopsychologyp. 7
Trust Everyone, but Always Cut the Cards: The Psychology of Lying and Deceptionp. 45
Believing Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Psychology Enters the Twilight Zonep. 89
Making Your Mind Up: The Strange Science of Decision Makingp. 127
The Scientific Search for the World's Funniest Joke: Explorations into the Psychology of Humorp. 179
Sinner or Saint?: The Psychology of When We Help and When We Hinderp. 227
The Pace of Life and Other Quirkological Oddities: The Future of Quirkologyp. 265
Afterword: How to Pep Up the Dullest of Dinner Partiesp. 275
Acknowledgmentsp. 279
Notesp. 283
Indexp. 307
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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