Books like The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

01

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman · Psychology

Thinking, Fast and Slow is Daniel Kahneman's account of the two cognitive systems that govern human thought.

A kindred psychology read.

02

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

Robert M. Sapolsky · Science

Behave is Robert Sapolsky's attempt to explain why humans do what they do — the violence, the altruism, the tribalism, the heroism — by working through every layer of biology that contributes to a single act.

A kindred psychology read.

03

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell · Psychology

Blink is Malcolm Gladwell's argument that fast, unconscious decisions — the ones made in the first two seconds of encountering something — are often just as reliable as slow, deliberate analysis, and sometimes more so.

Both dig into intuition.

04

The Body Keeps the Score

Bessel van der Kolk · Psychology

The Body Keeps the Score is Bessel van der Kolk's account of four decades spent studying and treating trauma, from Vietnam veterans at the VA in the 1970s to survivors of childhood abuse, accidents, and domestic violence.

A kindred psychology read.

05

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

David Eagleman · Psychology

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford who argues that the conscious self is a late, small, and largely uninformed participant in the brain's activity.

A kindred psychology read.

06

The Fear Factor: How One Emotion Connects Altruists, Psychopaths, and Everyone In-Between

Abigail Marsh · Psychology

Abigail Marsh is a Georgetown neuroscientist who studies why some people are extraordinarily altruistic and others are not.

Both dig into fear.

07

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

Jonathan Haidt · Psychology

The Righteous Mind is Jonathan Haidt's argument that moral reasoning is not the source of our moral judgments — it's the press secretary for them.

Both dig into intuition.

08

Big Magic

Elizabeth Gilbert · Self-help

Big Magic is Elizabeth Gilbert's manifesto for living a creative life — not as a professional artistic career but as an orientation toward existence.

Both dig into fear.

09

One Small Step Can Change Your Life

Robert Maurer · Self-help

Robert Maurer's book is built around a single Japanese concept: kaizen, the practice of continuous improvement through very small steps.

Both dig into fear.

10

Ugly Love

Colleen Hoover · Contemporary fiction

Tate Collins moves in with her brother and meets Miles Archer, his pilot roommate, the same night Miles drunkenly mistakes Tate for someone else.

Both dig into self-protection.

11

Year of Yes

Shonda Rhimes · Memoir

Year of Yes began with a Thanksgiving observation.

Both dig into fear.

12

100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Susan Weinschenk · Psychology

Susan Weinschenk is a behavioral scientist and UX consultant, and this book is her translation of cognitive science research into practical guidance for designers.

A kindred psychology read.