The Optimism Bias

By Tali Sharot,

Book cover of The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain

Book description

Winner of the British Psychological Society Book Award for Popular Psychology

Psychologists have long been aware that most people tend to maintain an irrationally positive outlook on life. In fact, optimism may be crucial to our existence. Tali Sharot's original cognitive research demonstrates in surprising ways the biological basis for…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked The Optimism Bias as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

We will need optimism to tackle the big challenges ahead of us. We should therefore understand some of the strengths and pitfalls of this mindset. I read Tali Sharot’s The Optimism Bias while I was working on a research project about self-deception and the book made a big impression. Sharot is one of the world’s leading cognitive neuroscientists and in this book she offers more than a description of a decision-making bias. Instead, she provides a detailed, sweeping account of how optimism works in the brain, operates in cognition, and plays out in diverse areas of human life. One key…

Want books like The Optimism Bias?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Optimism Bias.

Browse books like The Optimism Bias

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in neuropsychology, optimism, and physiology?

Neuropsychology 29 books
Optimism 17 books
Physiology 88 books