Tali Sharot Books

One of the most uncomfortable truths about influence is that information is not the same as persuasion. People often assume that if others simply had the right facts, they would update their beliefs and behavior. But Sharot shows that the brain does not treat all information equally. We are more rec...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

People like to imagine they make decisions with reason and then sprinkle in feeling afterward. The brain usually works the other way around. Emotion directs attention, strengthens memory, and signals what matters. Sharot explains that when a message triggers feeling—hope, curiosity, empathy, concern...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

A surprising source of influence is the brain’s tendency toward optimism. Sharot’s earlier research on optimism informs this book’s central insight: people are often more willing to absorb information that suggests a better future than information that predicts pain, loss, or failure. The brain does...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

Much of what we think, choose, and do is shaped by what we see other people doing. Sharot emphasizes that humans are deeply social learners. The brain uses the group as a shortcut for deciding what is normal, safe, desirable, or true. This makes social influence extraordinarily powerful, often more ...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

We often assume certainty persuades and uncertainty weakens a message. Sharot complicates that view. The brain is highly sensitive to uncertainty because uncertainty signals that something important may be happening. Not knowing what comes next can heighten attention, increase arousal, and make outc...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others

If you want someone to change, your instinct may be to warn them about consequences. But Sharot shows that the brain often responds more effectively to reward than to punishment. Anticipating a positive outcome activates motivational systems that energize action, learning, and persistence. Threat, b...

From The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others