Tali Sharot Books
Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London. Her research focuses on decision-making, emotion, and the neuroscience of optimism and influence.
Known for: The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others, The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain
Books by Tali Sharot
The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others
In this book, cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot explores the psychological and neural mechanisms that shape how people influence and are influenced by others. Drawing on research in neuroscience, p...
The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain
In this book, neuroscientist Tali Sharot explores the biological and psychological foundations of optimism. Drawing on her research in cognitive neuroscience, she explains how the brain generates hope...
Key Insights from Tali Sharot
The Limits of Facts
We live in an era that worships facts. Data is everywhere—graphs, percentages, charts, and statistics all promise to shape opinion. Yet empirical research repeatedly shows that even overwhelming factual evidence rarely changes people’s minds. In my laboratory, we discovered that when individuals are...
From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others
The Role of Emotion
Emotion drives attention, memory, and decision-making. When we speak in purely rational terms, the brain’s cognitive centers may process our words, but they rarely stick. In neuroimaging studies, we find that emotion-laden messages activate the amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex—regions tha...
From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others
The Evolutionary Roots of Optimism
It may seem counterintuitive that an organism would evolve to see the world through rose-colored glasses. Yet when we look closely at the forces that shaped human survival, optimism emerges as a powerful adaptive advantage. Early humans faced uncertainty at every turn: predators, disease, famine. Th...
From The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain
The Neuroscientific Basis of Optimism
Understanding optimism requires peering into the brain itself. Through imaging studies, we can see that the optimism bias is not abstract—it is biologically embedded. When individuals contemplate their personal future, certain regions light up on brain scans: notably the prefrontal cortex, especiall...
From The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain
About Tali Sharot
Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London. Her research focuses on decision-making, emotion, and the neuroscience of optimism and influence. She is also the author of 'The Optimism Bias' and a frequent contributor to major media outlets on topics of human b...
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Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London. Her research focuses on decision-making, emotion, and the neuroscience of optimism and influence. She is also the author of 'The Optimism Bias' and a frequent contributor to major media outlets on topics of human b...
Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London. Her research focuses on decision-making, emotion, and the neuroscience of optimism and influence. She is also the author of 'The Optimism Bias' and a frequent contributor to major media outlets on topics of human behavior and psychology.
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Tali Sharot is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor at University College London. Her research focuses on decision-making, emotion, and the neuroscience of optimism and influence.
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