The social animal
by Elliot Aronson · first published 1972
86% recommend14% neutral
Why HN recommends it
An accessible overview of social psychology, examining how other people shape our behavior, character, and achievement. It serves as a clear, readable starting point for general readers and managers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
How are the beliefs and behaviors of people influenced by others? For more than twenty years, Elliot Aronson's The Social Animal has been captivating readers by looking at the answers to this multifaceted question. Presenting the story of modern social psychology as a vivid, engaging narrative, Aronson has provided the most authoritative and accessible introduction to the field available. And by staying close to the real work of social psychologists, he ensures that each new edition incorporates the most important recent research and insights. The result: a classic - venerable yet vibrant. .
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on “Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?” ↗Read "The Social Animal" by Elliot Aronson.
A good follow-up book, which is more general in its scope but mentions similar behaviors, is "The Social Animal" by Elliot Aronson.
on “Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion” ↗…you want to know whether your employees will resign, whether you yourself will fire them, whether anyone will accept your offers of employment, or even respond to your job board posts, then read "The Social Animal" by UCSC Social Psychologist Elliott Aronson. That's a rather pricey book, but the vast majority of what it discusses are phenomena that I commonly find in the workplace. While strictly speaking it…
on “Netflix algorithm tells you when your best employee is about to leave you” ↗…Principle - Ray Dalio Drive - D Pink The Laws of Human Nature -R Greene Influence- Robert Cialdini 21st lessons for 21st century - Y. Harari Why we sleep -M. Walker Skin in the Game - Nassim T. Social Animal - David B. Einstein - Isaacson Steve Jobs - Isaacson Blink - malcolm gladwell Outlier - malcolm gladwell The tipping point - malcolm gladwell Game of Throne series
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?” ↗John Lakos, Large Scale C++ Software Design. Read it even if you dont do C++ as the most valuable parts apply to any language. Anything by Watts Humphrey. Elliot Aronson, The Social Animal Eric Berne MD, Games People Play
on “Ask HN: What books should I read as a software manager?” ↗…Rational Living by Albert Ellis, Feeling Good by David Burns - changed the way I see and cope with things and people that used to "cause" me lots of stress in the past. Behave by Robert Sapolsky, The Social Animal by Elliot Aronson, Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman - we are animals shaped by evolution. The human brain isn't perfect and makes lots of silly mistakes. I learned not to belive everything I think.
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…situation worse. Recommended watch: Ken Robinson's Ted talk Do schools kill creativity. Recommended reading: Carl Rogers Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become. For a shorter read, Aronson's Social Animal has a chapter.
on “I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT” ↗Elliot Aronson mentions a few studies in his "The Social Animal" book starting on page 263. I'll just briefly list the studies mentioned, in case anyone is interested: - Bushman, B. (2002). Does venting anger feed or extinguish the flame? Catharsis, rumination, distraction,…
on “My fellow geeks, we need to have a talk.” ↗