Before You Know It

By John Bargh,

Book cover of Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do

Book description

'John Bargh's Before You Know It moves our understanding of the mysteries of human behaviour one giant step forward. A brilliant and convincing book.' - Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and David and Goliath

How much of what we say, feel and do is under our conscious control? How much…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Before You Know It as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Yale professor John Bargh is a wonderful writer and a great storyteller.

We all know that our minds operate at both a conscious and an unconscious level, but not until I read this book did I realize how much happens at the unconscious level and that this helps explain everything from how getting a flu shot affects our attitudes toward immigration to how having power can induce us to try to unfairly advantage people we perceive to be like us at the expense of “out-group” members. 

This excellent book explores the power of the unconscious mind and in how it shapes our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Our unconscious mind plays a much bigger role in our behavior than we realize. In fact, much of what we do is driven by unconscious processes.

The book provides a range of practical advice for using the insights from research on the unconscious mind to improve our lives, including setting goals, making better decisions, and forming better habits.

Want books like Before You Know It?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Before You Know It.

Browse books like Before You Know It

Book cover of Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise
Book cover of Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
Book cover of Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,206

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in cognition, human behavior, and motivation?

Cognition 41 books
Human Behavior 34 books
Motivation 553 books