New Book Releases | January 27
Individual excellence, AI, interpersonal synchronicity, and why individuals take the blame for social problems—you'll find it all in this week's new releases.
This week's best nonfiction releases cover personal development topics like unlocking your individual potential and harnessing AI, interpersonal issues in the “emerging science and outsized impact of interpersonal synchrony,” and the society-wide issue of how behavioral economics has been an unwitting accomplice in blaming individuals for social problems. All four are available online and in local bookshops today.
How to AI: Cut Through the Hype. Master the Basics. Transform Your Work. by Christopher Mims, published by Crown Currency
A frank, hands-on guide to harnessing AI and leveling up your business, revealing which tools companies of every size are using that have proven to alter their bottom line and free up their time—from a Wall Street Journal tech columnist.
Imagine a freelancer suddenly having access to a sophisticated legal team for red-lining contracts or a data analyst on a small team who can suddenly transform spreadsheets full of numbers into sophisticated, bulleted insight. Both would surely welcome an on-demand, low-cost business consultant to help them adapt in the face of changing market conditions. Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize our workplaces, our day-to-day realities, and our lives. But you can’t just ask AI to do these things for you—unless you know the right questions. Most of the abilities of AI have been discovered through trial and error. Users may be surprised by how improbably, magically good today’s best AIs can be at some things—and how terrible they can be at others.
Christopher Mims argues that it is this tension between the power and inscrutability of today’s AI tools that is at the heart of people’s awe and befuddlement at just how to incorporate AI into their work. How to AI resolves that tension: it’s an accessible, narrative guide to how regular people are getting the most out of these systems, from the flashiest forms of generative AI to the dozens of other flavors that are often overshadowed. Brought to life by hundreds of interviews with people who rely on AI in their work, as well as Mims’ in-depth case studies of a trio of handpicked businesses, readers will see how everyone from construction companies to independent lawyers to healthcare startups are using AI tools to transform their businesses.
Animated by the humor and brilliant explanatory power that have earned Mims’ columns a devoted following, How to AI will arm readers to become a part of the AI revolution—and, more importantly, give them the tools to make it work for them.
It's on You: How Corporations and Behavioral Scientists Have Convinced Us That We’re to Blame for Society's Deepest Problems by Nick Chater & George Loewenstein, published by Basic Venture
Two leading behavioral scientists argue we should reject “nudge” policies and stop blaming personal failure for society’s failures.
Two decades ago, behavioral economics burst from academia to the halls of power, on both sides of the Atlantic, with the promise that correcting individual biases could help transform society. The hope was that governments could deploy a new approach to addressing society’s deepest challenges, from inadequate retirement planning to climate change—gently, but cleverly, nudging people to make choices for their own good and the good of the planet.
It was all very convenient, and false. As behavioral scientists Nick Chater and George Loewenstein show in It’s on You, nudges rarely work, and divert us from policies that do. For example, being nudged to switch to green energy doesn’t cut carbon, and it distracts from the real challenge of building a low-carbon economy.
It’s on You shows how the rich and powerful have repeatedly used a clever sleight of hand: blaming individuals for social problems, with behavioral economics an unwitting accomplice, while lobbying against the systemic changes that could actually help. Rather than trying to “fix” the victims of bad policies, real progress requires rewriting the social and economic rulebook for the common good.
The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World by Brad Stulberg, published by HarperOne
The definitive book on excellence: a practical guide to creating, contributing, and actualizing your potential amid the craziness of modern life, from bestselling author Brad Stulberg.
Whether you are practicing guitar, pushing your limits at the gym, leading a team, honing a craft, studying medicine, or giving yourself the time and space to finally write that book, the pursuit of excellence is a big part of what makes life worth living—and it is for all of us. Unlike "pseudo-excellence," which is about hustle culture and hacks, genuine excellence is about challenging yourself in worthwhile endeavors, focusing on what matters most, and expressing the unique qualities that make you who you are. Too often, we get caught up in convenience and distraction to the detriment of our true potential. The good news is that we can set ourselves on a better path, one that includes more aliveness and resonance, more connection to self and others.
Here, Stulberg finds convergence between modern science, age-old philosophy, and daily practice to explain that we are wired to strive for excellence—it is what we are here to do, core to our humanity. Yet our environment often works against us. The path he shares to reclaim excellence means learning about:
- Defining, living, and working in alignment with your values
- Cultivating focus and concentration
- The power of prioritizing consistency over intensity
- Building durable confidence
- The connection between mastery and mattering
- Developing the courage to care deeply
- Designing environments that support excellence
- Selecting goals based not just on what you want to achieve, but on who you want to become
- Overcoming the traps, pitfalls, and barriers to excellence including alienation, chasing a never-ending supply of dopamine, and addiction to external validation and the opinions of others
- Applying the principles and insights of excellence to one's organizations and communities
At its core, excellence is a deeply-fulfilling process of becoming—the best performer, and person, you can be.
Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony by Kate Murphy, published by Celadon Books
Why do you immediately click with some people while others just as inexplicably turn you off? Do people emit vibes? Is it possible to read a room? Are bad habits contagious?
Kate Murphy, author of the international bestseller You’re Not Listening, answers these and other fascinating questions in Why We Click, the first book that explores the emerging science and outsized impact of interpersonal synchrony, the most consequential social dynamic most people have never heard of. Interpersonal synchrony is the seemingly magical, yet now scientifically documented, tendency of human beings to fall into rhythm and find resonance with one another.
Not only do we subconsciously match one another’s movements, postures, facial expressions, and gestures; recent breakthroughs in technology have revealed we also sync up our heart rates, blood pressure, brainwaves, pupil dilation, and hormonal activity. The result is that emotions, moods, attitudes, and subsequent behaviors can be as infectious as any disease, and can have just as profound an impact on our health and well-being.
Interweaving science, philosophy, literature, history, business management theory, pop-culture, and plenty of relatable, real world examples, Why We Click explains why being “in sync,” “in tune,” “in step,” and “on the same wavelength” are more than just turns of phrase. From the bedroom to the boardroom and beyond, Murphy reveals with characteristic curiosity, concision, and wit how our instinct to sync with others drives much of our behavior and how our deepest desires—to be known, admired, loved, and connected—are so often thwarted in modern life.
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The Porchlight staff members choosing new books each week are Porchlight's Managing Director, Sally Haldorson, and the marketing team of Gabriella Cisneros and Dylan Schleicher.
Unless otherwise noted, all book descriptions are from the publisher.
