Post by Hassan Khan

What to read Wednesdays? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Can you tell when someone is genuinely interested in you, or the things that you’re saying? How can you really know when someone is bluffing, or when they’re paying attention? This book, and the author’s research, reveals the surprising power of ancient — and largely unconscious — forms of human communication. The author argues that much of human decision-making is largely determined by unconscious processes as opposed to rational and logical (and conscious) decision-making. This is our ability to pickup and be influenced by what he calls honest signals. The author has used specially designed digital sensors to monitor and analyse the back-and-forth patterns of signaling among groups of people, and he has found that a second channel of communication, revolving not around words but around social relations, profoundly influences major decisions in our lives - even though we are largely unaware of it. The book delves into the science behind this form of social sense and communication, and applies it to examples of group behaviour across a range of settings. We are shown how by reading our social networks we can become more successful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or closing a deal. We can become more successful in all of our interactions. This book is a must read for anyone interested in human behaviour, and for anyone wanting to be a more effective communicator and decision-maker.