10 Psychological books that will help you think better and smarter

Psychology is a vast and varied science that focuses on understanding human behavior and thought, including your own. It includes so much more, including feelings and personality.

Understanding psychology will help you better comprehend both yourself and those around you.

Additionally, you'll advance far more quickly toward realizing your full potential, make wiser judgments, and manage challenging circumstances with ease. The Following are books that will help you learn how the world works and why you should get hold of at least two.

1. Everything Is F*cked by Mark Manson

About

Everything Is F*cked Up delineates the flaws in our approach to happiness and offers philosophical recommendations for improving it. It contradicts its title by brilliantly talking about hope and the ways hope can be the pivot for success.

What makes it worth reading?

Even though it seems like we have it all these days—from freedom to wonderful technical advancements—an increasing number of people appear to be drowning in a sense of despondency. A book that focuses on everything around us will make you think about things you probably haven't even considered before by putting things into perspective in a sharp, yet hilarious way.

Chasing happiness is not the answer to mental diseases; rather, the answer is finding actual liberation from our attachments and addictions.

“Hopelessness is the root of anxiety, mental illness, and depression. It is the source of all misery and the cause of all addiction.” — Mark Manson

2. Do What You Are by Paul Tieger, Barbara Barron, & Kelly Tieger

About

The book is about discovering your personality type and how it might help you find a more fulfilling profession that matches your skills and interests.

Your ideal job is just your personality type away. By identifying your personality type and the best occupation for you based on your results, this book will help you determine exactly what it is that you are good at. This book will assist you in determining the path you need to take to be pleased with your life and profession by using a variety of activities and examples.

To determine your personality type, pay attention to how you interact with the outside world. Consider your identity and your areas of interest to find your ideal career path. You can always shift your job to something more fulfilling, regardless of your age.

“The right job enhances your life. It is personally fulfilling because it nourishes the most important aspects of your personality..” — Paul Tieger, Barbara Barron, & Kelly Tieger

3. Thinking, Fast and Slow By Daniel Kahneman

About

Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist and a recipient of the Nobel Prize, making him one of the most influential academics and thinkers of the previous 50 years. Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman are regarded as the two pioneers of behavioral economics. In Thinking, Fast or Slow, they provide a layperson's summary of their whole body of work. Kahneman discusses the two systems that control our mental processes in his tour of the human mind. System 1 is rapid, intuitive, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, more methodical, and rational.

Why you should Read it

If behavioral economics even mildly intrigues you, this book is for you. It is a remarkably thorough book filled with insightful self-help guidance. The book is often humorous and frequently touching, especially when Kahneman discusses his work with Tversky, his late friend, and colleague, who definitely would have shared the Noble with Kahneman had he lived. After reading this book, your perspective on thinking will change. This book will help you, from a scientific standpoint, find your genuine self.

You can't help but admire Kahneman's writing because he is so modest and unassuming. You'll be made conscious of all the awful things your brain does. You will notice a slight decline in your sense of self-assurance, an increase in your awareness of your own biases and mental shortcuts, and a slight rise in your skepticism about all the nonsense that other books and other people are trying to convince you of.

4. Zero to One By Peter Thiel

About

Peter Thiel investigates the interactions between technology, society, and historical events in this outstanding classic of business philosophy. Both entrepreneurship as a type of company and as a strategy for guaranteeing social salvation is covered in the book.

Why you should read it

The best aspect of the book is its capacity to explain everything on a meta-level. It doesn't provide a method or formula to follow. It introduces a philosophical framework, a school of thought, or a notion. This should be read several times. As you read more, the layers will become clearer. This book focuses less on starting a business or startup and more on shaping the future with the right mindset.

5. Algorithms to Live By Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths

About

In a brilliantly interdisciplinary work, renowned author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show how the techniques used by computers may also illuminate very human concerns. They explain how to cultivate better intuitions, when to rely on chance, how to manage to have too many options, and how to effectively communicate with others. This fascinating book examines how insights from computer algorithms may be applied to enhance decision-making in practical circumstances and give light on how the human brain works.

Why you should read it

This book skillfully combines a variety of disciplines to provide engaging and educational work, including computer technology, psychology, behavioural and applied economics, statistics, and many more. Algorithms to Live By is full of rich examples, saving the reader from boring mathematical jargon. I find it fascinating that using algorithms on purpose when making daily decisions can not only reduce stress but also make us happier and provide us with more time to do valuable things.

6. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (New and Expanded) by Ph.D. Robert B. Cialdini

About

Dr. Robert B. Cialdini's influential psychology book Influence, initially published in 1984, was reissued in 2021 as Influence, New, and Expanded. It includes new research, examples, and ideas, particularly concerning the internet era. Cialdini explains seven applicable principles of influence you can employ in your daily life, each supported by his 35 years of scientific research (the most recent being "Unity").

Reasons to own a copy

This is the book for you if you're interested in psychology and want to learn more about the current art of ethical persuasion as well as how to recognize lies told by others.

7. Upstream: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath

About

Sometimes it seems like we're always running to put out fires as they start. Of course, it is fairly tiring constantly responding to issues without a moment to catch your breath and get ready for the next one. Breaking the cycle of reaction and beginning to prevent issues before they arise is how Dan Heath proposes to do it in Upstream.

Why you should read it

This book helps you with figuring out upcoming forces and how to address them before they get to you. By citing actual instances of individuals, companies, and even entire institutions that conquered their difficulties, Heath demonstrates how to rise to the occasion and fortify your defenses against such issues. Thankfully, the commonality across these case studies is straightforward for comprehension.

8. Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein

About

The authors create this comprehensive guide detailing what we already know and their new thoughts about noise by combining their scholarly experience with fresh research. This is one of the greatest psychology books to help you understand the unimportant elements that might influence or bias decision-making, how to reduce those factors, and how to sharpen your thinking if you're interested in understanding why we make judgments.

9. The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

About

The Psychopath Test guides us through the contemporary mental health system while challenging us to consider those it diagnoses as "psychopathic" in greater detail. Jon Ronson's story begins with a man who pretended to be insane to avoid serving a prison sentence. He did this by acting pleasant, glib, and well-dressed in contrast to the other inmates at the mental hospital. Ronson compares these purported psychopathy warning indicators to individuals from different backgrounds, concluding that psychopaths are pervasive.

why you should read it

Here is where the "industry of crazy'" doors are truly thrown open. How many of our most prominent CEOs, academics, and political figures are psychopaths? Can the best psychology theories or books we now have access to help us diagnose strangers by focusing on their "maddest" traits? If you're curious about the answers to these queries, pick up a copy of The Psychopath Test and read it.

10.  Games People Play: The Psychology of Human Relationships by Eric Berne

About

Games People Play by Eric Berne's explanation of healthy and unhealthy social relationships will be just up your alley. Berne asserts that we constantly engage in "social games," including power struggles with superiors, extramarital affairs, marital squabbles, and rivalries among friends.

Why you should read it

Berne reveals the several forms of mind games that anyone may engage in: in status competitions, the game turns into a back-and-forth "I know better" game, and couples are prone to playing mental games where they each say the other is holding them back. In addition to naming these interactions, Berne reveals their hidden significance as sneaky ruses and tricks that control our life. These imaginatively placed ideas are what make this psychology book a powerful and arresting bestseller.