Engineering Science - Tolstoy Syndrome Comments

Comment on 'Tolstoy Syndrome' by Samantha Zeitlin

2008-05-28T21:00:19Z

I liked Hogan's book, but I hadn't started Cialdini's yet.

Hogan's book is more of a manual, it's not written in an academic style at all. It's a fast read, very upbeat. Definitely handy to have around.

Now I'm reading Cialdini and in some ways I like it better. But I'm only a few pages into it. I'm amused by the examples of birds and insects mimicking, etc. but in some ways it's almost too academic. And even though I'm reading the 2007 edition, it feels a bit out of date. When he refers to women college students as 'co-eds', I can't help but cringe a little.

Never heard of Moneyball, I'll have to look that one up.

Comment on 'Tolstoy Syndrome' by Geoff Davis

2008-05-28T03:53:24Z

Thanks for the encouragement! Look for some interesting new developments on the site in the next month...

I liked Nudge a lot. If you're looking for good books on how to persuade people of your ideas, Cialdini's Influence is also good. If you want a great case study on how hard it is to inject new ideas into a hidebound and conservative institution, Moneyball is fantastic (and I'm not even a baseball fan). Is Horgan's book worth reading?

Comment on 'Tolstoy Syndrome' by Samantha Zeitlin

2008-05-23T21:42:47Z

I'm reading Kevin's Hogan's book The Science of Influence, and I agree that confirmation bias is incredibly important. It's really just another way of discussing resistance to change, right?

I'd be curious to know if I should read Nudge next?

Keep doing what you're doing. Postdocs and grad students are glad anyone is trying.