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Books to Expand Your Mind in 2023-Granted-Adam Grant


 Going through a no book reading, no music  journey for a month or two was a difficult saga.Yes a different journey, picking up one book and reading it half way through and switching to the other. Strolling through the book shop ,photographing with my eyes which is in trend. 

Someone rightly said if you have a garden and a library you have everything.Here I am offering few books which you can devour, yeah non-fiction though.

1. What's Our Problem?- by Tim Urban-Self Help for Societies

Tim owns the blog waitbutwhy.

The Problem

Why do we go back in wisdom, when the stakes are so high and the time is so prosperous?

Exponential technology means higher stakes

1.Technology has an exponential pattern. Advanced societies progress in a higher rate than the other less developed societies.It is both good and bad.Tech grows and becomes so powerful,and no matter how it has grown in a good way, the bad takes all over for us.

2.Environment changed faster than the human mind

The modern world is not the environment we are made for.As our habitat changes ,we have optimized our brain software to adapt to  a complex fabric of culture,norms,values and norms.

3.We don't have enough Wisdom

If we can all get a little wiser ,together, we may make it to a beautiful future.Wisdom continues to oscillate up and down and people who have lived through bad times , who have tasted the harsh reality leads to wiser decisions.

Genies and Golems

Genies thrive in Idea lab, where members are independent thinkers. Golems can't change their mindset and have infected the vital organs of the society.

This is a book that can sharpen your thinking, open your mind.

2.Drama Free by Nedra Glover  Tawwab

Here the licensed therapist, offers clear advice for identifying the dysfunctional family patterns and break free from it. Take control of the person who you truly are and set boundaries and have a good life.When mental health is finally getting its due attention, this definitely is a guide to family health.

3.The Things we make by Bill Hammak

This is an informative book on how engineers,impulse to solve real world problems is a progress in itself. Hammak is the idea begind the youtube channel, engineerguy. Here he emphasizes the broad spectrum of engineering and says scientific method creates knowledge and engineering creates solution.Light bulbs would not have been made if there were no tungsten filament. An engineer should arrive at an optimal solution necessary perfect solution.

He really teaches you to think like an engineer even if have no math background.

4.Magic Words by Jonah Berger

He is a marketing professor of Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. Here he reveals six types of  words that can persuade others to build strong relationships,motivating teams.

Technological advancements in machine learning , computation linguistics, natural language processing have combined and digitized to give a huge impact. This one will be a tool kit for marketing,sales or teachers to get help from students.

5. Soul Boom-by Rainn Wilson

Here Rainn Wilson emphasis on the role of spirituality in our lives.  He is recognized for his role in The Office and the docuseries The Geography of  Bliss has instilled him to make world a better place. He has covered his journey in his memoir where he depicts his bohemian upbringing and his Baha'i faith became important to him. And how he took that spiritual path when his mental health and addictions took a toll on him.He covers some topics like purpose of life, life after death, God.Not in my recommendations.

6.Fool Proof-Tess Wilkinson Ryan

As a professor of  contract law with a degree in psychology,studies about humans transactions with one another.Sometimes humans are generous and cooperative, other times they are guarded. One can't come to a conclusion one is selfish or altruist based on this. She has referenced a word'sugrophobia', fear of being sucked, fear of getting duped and going out of their way to avoid it.In her opinion,based on the research, humiliation is the partner of alienation.

7.Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin

She has once again combined memoir with scientific data. She writes she wanted to experience the world,the people  around her and herself. She has alienated herself. And explores in sharpening her five senses. She went to the museum,indulged in exercise with the family,curating an audio Apothecary playlist of her favourite music, living in her Silent home retreat learning perfumery. And as her journey progressed she noticed she was connecting with people at a higher level. We can actively shape our sensory rather than passively enduring them.

8.Awe by Dacher Keltner

Dacher is the professor of psychology at the University of California.

Awe can make much sense from seeing a solar eclipse to your child taking her baby steps. In this book,he writes, how awe is equally critically important in shaping you, just like joy, contentment and love. It calms down your central nervous system,releases oxytocin, the love hormones, that promotes trust and love.Many of us have a critical voice that tells you , you are not rich enough, beautiful, here awe quiets this negative self talk. You really don't need riches or privileges to have an encounter with awe, just breathe and look around. Don't get distracted,have focus. Practice Mindfulness .

9.The Urgent Life by Bozoma Saint John

In this excerpt from her memoir, Bozoma Saint John, recounts how she and her late husband lost their baby girl who was born prematurely.She had held high profile positions in Pepsi, Netflix-she gives an account of grief. Her personal story is one of resilience ,love,loss.

10.The Portfolio Life by Christina Wallace

Pouring ourselves to a single full-time gig is the riskiest move you can make. This Harvard professor churns out a balanced sustainable process for a long haul.

11.Good Power:Ginni Rometty

After spending around 40 years in IBM, she retired as CEO  in 2020. Each time and tested  principles and beliefs, she has depicted in the book have shaped the outcomes for herself and others. Refreshing read on power, and how to empower.

12.Mixed Signals-Uri Gneezy

This encounters how actions send signals that shape behavious, and how to design better incentives for better results in our life, at work.

13.Selfless by Brian Lowery

Here the author points out thereis no self, we are merely who we interact with.He argue that self does not exist. His insights are humbling.We are the creations of the many hands that touch us.We are shaped by the environment in which we live in. Something to challenge our assumptions of what drives our decisions, our actions,our identities.

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