Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain

“Think Like a Freak” is a thought provoking and at times unorthodox look at how it is possible to retrain the human brain to make impactful decisions. I thoroughly enjoyed the format of the book. The authors present big picture ideas and questions followed with illustrations of real-world antidotes. The stories appear so delightfully random and varied. It is fascinating to have a book that weaves together colonialism, birth rates, famine, crime rates, Bon Jovi, intestinal microbes, a hot dog eating contest, and Winston Churchill. They weave together modern-day urban legends and historical stories to highlight a unique perspective of the choices we make. It creates a fascinating and captivating story of economics and social decisions. How does human nature determine our decisions? Are we capable of making intelligent independent decisions or are we predestined to repeat the same mistakes? I love a book that comes full circle and Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner take seemingly random stories and connect them back to their message. This book features an at times unconventional approach to problem solving and is a fast read. The book tackles some fairly weighty issues in a lighthearted manner. They also take our preconceived notions and turn them completely upside down. I saw applications for their approach to tackling problems in business situations, educational environments, and personal life choices. A lot of the book was applicable to instructional design. How powerful would it be to be aware of how people make decisions and learn before designing a course. What if business entrepreneurs thought about not just their product and profit at a surface level but about how to create something truly impactful and successful in the long term? One of my biggest takeaways from this book was to find something that you love to do and obsess about it. So simple but so powerful. It is obvious from reading this book that Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner love what they do.

As a huge fan of the podcast, I read this entire book with Dubner's voice in my head. That was awesome. The downside of the book for someone who's been following along with Freakonomics Radio over the past few years is that there's very little "new" here. A quick perusal through the citations section reveals a lot of references to the podcast, and to research that's been featured in the podcast. So if you're looking for brand new stories, this is perhaps not the book in which you'll find them. That said, I think the book succeeds in providing a more comprehensive synthesis of various things the podcast and the other books have addressed. As other reviewers (and the book itself) point out, the approach is more prescriptive and practical. In that respect, I found the book valuable in describing an approach to thinking as opposed to delving into a clever new case study. My reading experience was essentially the book saying, "Here's a core approach to critical thinking/problem solving, and here's how the stories we've examined before illustrate the value of that approach." So while not many of the stories were new, they were presented in a unique way which illustrated things from a different angle than I'd experienced them when listening on the podcast. It did not take me very long to read - I basically knocked it out over the course of one day. I'd recommend the book to people unfamiliar to the podcast, people who want to support Dubner/Levitt/Freakonomics, and to people who just like to spend time with some of the stories they've heard before.

This is the first time I have read a book by the authors, but I plan to read their previous books. This is such an easy, yet thought-provoking read. As someone who regularly solves problems and looks for ways to improve processes, I am excited to apply some of the lessons learned from this book. What makes this book so good is that it is full of great stories that introduce and back up valuable lessons that have the power to change your thinking. This book challenges how we currently think while giving some practical ways to think differently. It has been said that our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts, so to apply new thinking concepts from experts should positively affect our thinking and therefore our lives. A large portion of the book is devoted to problem-solving. It shares concepts such as thinking like a child, redefining a problem, and attacking the root cause all woven through some nicely shared stories. The stories are valuable to helping the concepts stick in the brain. Stories deeply resonant with people and are memorable. In fact, after reading this book, I aspire to be a better storyteller as there is so much value in it as a skillset to possess. The chapter about quitting revealed a big upside to quitting things that take up time, space, energy, and the likes without benefit. Or perhaps, it is time to quit one thing to be able to move on from something that is not working: a job, a relationship, a career, etc. Quitting seems like it would only apply to losers, but after reading the chapter, I understand that sometimes we continue to do things for the sake of commitment only. That reason alone needs to be weighed as sometimes one must let go to move into something more worthwhile, to the next season, or calling. The authors do not suggest quitting everything and doing nothing, but rather, to see that quitting does not equate to failure as many have been taught. I would recommend this read, especially if you solve problems a lot. Again, it is quick, easy, and interesting. This book will challenge your status quo of thinking and give you some new concepts as replacements.

For most of us, Freakonomics is the book that made us look at numbers and their interpretation in a different way. The books also happen to be an excellent example of Lateral Thinking. Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner, the authors of Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics and self-proclaimed freaks, plans to show us how to think like a freak. In the ever-changing professional fields, thinking like a freak will get you into the hall of fame. So it is not only the right time but also very essential to share this knowledge. Steven and Stephen are good story tellers. Like their previous books, this one also has a lot of stories. There are tireless doctors who crusade against the scientific community and also an unassuming Japanese guy who become a champion by wolfing down hot dogs. No doubt these are interesting stories told in a captivating way. Unfortunately, the stories are the upside of the book. The rest of the book is a series of mantras that will help you think different, think outside the box or think like a freak. These mantras are an amalgamation of the popular self-help books. Except the interesting stories and the style of writing, there isn't nothing much you can get from this book. You may want to pick up this book while waiting for the next flight. Easily read and more easily forgotten.

Like Freakanomics, this is a great read. I think the chapters vary in quality and originality, but even though I read the chapters in order, I think that you wouldn't lose much by skipping around. For me the most interesting chapter was the fourth one which covered the differences in the success and work habits of Catholics and Protestants and Catholic and Protestant countries. The chapter that I found the most puzzling was the eighth one on persuading people to believe in/care about man made global warming. To me, the reason that many can't be persuaded of the immanent threat of global warming is that those who are saying that the threat is immanent aren't acting like it in their personal behavior. Barack "the science is settled" Obama flew Michelle on Air Force One to New York City for a "date night" early in his presidency. He takes multiple vacations on Air Force One while she arrives at the same destination hours later on her own plane. Al Gore flies around on private jets, lives in enormous houses and sold his Current TV station to the oil enriched Al Jazeera. Robert Kennedy Jr won't allow wind turbines near his property. It's as if your next door neighbor told you that you live in a dangerous, high crime area and that you must install iron bars on your windows and stay inside with the doors and windows locked. Meanwhile he sunbathing in his front yard with the doors and windows wide open and his children playing in the street (later you find out that he owns a company that sells iron bars/carbon credits).

I read the first Freakonomics and loved it. Somehow missed the second one, but WOW! Was this one great. Levitt and Dubner, a prominent economist and journalist respectively, are dedicated to the notion that decisions and actions should be based on fact, not supposition, strongly held belief, or political theology. In previous books, they have demonstrated their approach to solving world problems. In this one, they attempt to teach readers how to do it themselves. Yes! Transform those strongly held but false beliefs into fact-based operating principles. What an amazing and refreshing concept! Especially after watching the political debates. I found the authors' insistence on nibbling at the edges of world problems and tackling doable tasks rather than pitching limited resources at conundrums that CAN'T be solved by mortals very refreshing. I also found Levitt and Dubner's just saying out loud that quitting is OK. Not only that, it's the right thing to do for many reasons, not the least avoiding dumping vast resources into solutions that won't work. I read someone saying in a review of this book that it was sociology, not economics. Maybe, but I doubt ten readers could understand it if if was a "pure economics" tome. My first career was in economics. I've got a couple of degrees in the field and was the economic analyst for Santa Clara County (where San Jose CA is) back in the day. When I was working on my PhD many years ago, I could see that the mathematical branches of economics were becoming the high-status subsets of the profession. Yet they described reality less accurately than the kind that used words. I quit that PhD program when I realized what was happening in the field made no sense. That's when I found out quitting can be a good thing. During this period, I chatted with a fellow whose PhD was in econometrics from one of the Ivies––he was a member of the anointed few. He told me that the best econometrics could do was predict the direction of an economic change, up, down or stays the same, not the amount. So, had Levitt dragged out the math, probably no one would know what he was talking about and it wouldn't yield any more accurate facts than the chatty approach. Freakonomics and Think like a Freak are blessed by Dubner, who can write the conclusions up in terms we can all understand. Stories are the best way of teaching/explaining. I don't know that the authors succeed in their task of giving people the tools to think/act based on fact, but the attempt sure is fun and interesting.

If you're a fan of Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics, you'll love this book. Here's why: Like many other people, after reading both of the Freakonomics books, I felt like I learned a ton, but I wasn't sure how it would apply directly to my life. And that's okay. They weren't writing a self help book, and I read their work because I was genuinely curious in understanding how the world works. But this book departs from their usual method of explaining how the world works and instead shows you how you can better live in the world. And that's why I believe this is their best book yet. Here's a little summary of what I learned: 1. In one chapter, the three hardest words in the english language, they talk about one of the main problems that plagues people today - the inability to say "I don't know." And they show you how it's a deadly combination because "cocky plus wrong" is a recipe for disaster. They then show you how to avoid making this mistake. They even give a word for word script you can use. 2. In another chapter, "WHat's your problem," they share the story of Kobayashi and how he became a professional hot dog - and food eater. They walked through his entire process and how he went on to eat 50 hot dogs when people thought eating 30 was impossible. And even though they're talking about hot dogs, you'll see how this can apply to everyone. As an example, back when I started creating videos for Social Triggers TV, a friend of mine told me they were filming about 6 videos a day. And I thought, "Well, I'm new at this ther's no way ill get there." And I would film 3 videos a day. Eventually, as I got good, I got to the magic number - 6 videos in a day and I felt like I was on top of the world. Until I spoke to another friend who told me they do 15 or 20 videos in a day. I was SHOCKED. But I went back to the drawing board, refined my process, and eventually got up to 17 videos in a day. I'm being vague here, mainly because I want you to read the book. But it's funny seeing how the same process I used to increase my video production was used by the hot dog champ as well. 3. And my favorite part of the book is when they talk about what they call "the once and done" technique. If you're a non-profit, you'll LOVE reading about this because you'll see how you can potentially increase donations a drastic amount by using this simple marketing tactic. And that's it. Great book and I suggest you buy it and read it.

Having been listening to the podcast for years and only owning the original freakonomics book (even that is a gift), I felt obliged to buy this book, if not for anything else than paying back the authors for providing me with hundred of hours of listening pleasure. Luckily Amazon 1 click preorder made it very easy for me to do just that. The book is well written. You could almost hear Dubner's voice in every line if the book. Well structured, unlike Gladwell's book that often made me wonder "what are we talking about again?". It is snappy. Fast cuts and to the point. The only criticism I have with the book is that for the podcast listener, it can feel too familiar at times. You either kinda already know the story or at least where the authors are going to go with it. Regardless, every single story is delivered so well that It didnt take away the pleasure of reading the book.

Like always Levitt and Dubner created something special. Although its not as good as Freakonomics its fun to read and creates once more a wider understanding of how the world is working when its broken down to figures.

Dubner e Levitt sembra stiano affinando la loro tecnica di scrittura. A mio avviso, questo libro rappresenta un passo in avanti rispetto ai precedenti. E' vero che argomenti e stile sono per lo più simili ma si perde meno tempo in dettagli e va al punto in maniera più diretta e precisa. Gli autori tengono fede al titolo e riescono a far luce, al di là dei singoli episodi, sullo stile del pensiero freak.

Text a little too small to be able to read comfortably.

Desde luego no esperéis el libro revelador que cambiará vuestras vidas. Si buscáis eso, leeros la biblia o el Corán que para eso se escribieron. En cualquier caso, este libro mola mucho. Los autores son conocidos por el gran éxito "Freakonomics" que no he leído aunque pienso hacerlo tras terminar éste. En un compendio de excelentes ideas, que puedes compartir o rechazar, este libro te hace pensar, lo cual, al menos en mi caso, agradezco enormemente. Si a eso añadimos que las ideas se hilan a través de un conjunto de anécdotas e historias, como poco interesantes, tenemos un ejemplar de amenidad y diversión que compensa cada céntimo que inviertes en el libro. El precio por otro lado es el detonante final para no resistirse a incluir una copia en cualquier biblioteca que se precie :)

The most difficult words to say are "I don't know" how to write a review to give this book justice