'Lucid and engaging . . . Sharot's treatment is particularly valuable for its balance between accessibility to the reader and solid grounding in scientific research . . . An indispensable contribution from the coalface of cognitive scientific research' Science'This book is not only a primer on persuasion; it is far more valuable than that. It explains why so many of our well-meaning attempts to change people's minds can backfire so badly' RORY SUTHERLAND, VICE CHAIRMAN, OGLIVY & MATHERPart of our daily job as humans is to influence others; we teach our children, guide our patients, advise our clients, help our friends and inform our online followers. But how good are we at this role? The Influential Mind shows how we systematically fall back on sub-optimal habits when trying to change others' beliefs and behaviours. Many of these instincts are ineffective, because they are incompatible with how the mind operates.'A witty survey of techniques to influence and guide human behavior' New York Times Book Review'Advertising, politics, education - any juxtaposition of human and message involves influence. But why might a patently ill-informed demagogue sway more people than a scientist? In this perceptive study, cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot isolates seven factors central to influence' Nature

Better facts tend to be counterproductive on hot-button issues like gun control. As Tali Sharot notes in her book The Influential Mind . . . The smarter a person is, the greater his or her ability to rationalize and reinterpret discordant information, and the greater the polarizing boomerang effect is likely to be