Psychology · Similar reads
Books like When Prophecy Fails
The best books like When Prophecy Fails are Thinking, Fast and Slow, Predictably Irrational, and You Are Not So Smart. When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger is about belief, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Thinking, Fast and Slow
01
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.
Read the summary → - Predictably Irrational
02
Dan Ariely · Psychology
Predictably Irrational is Dan Ariely's examination of how humans make decisions that are consistently, systematically irrational — not random or arbitrary, but irrational in ways that follow patterns.
A kindred psychology read.
Read the summary → - You Are Not So Smart
03
David McRaney · Psychology
David McRaney is a journalist who started a blog called "You Are Not So Smart" about self-delusion in 2009, and turned it into this book in 2011.
A kindred psychology read.
Read the summary → - The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
04
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.
A kindred psychology read.
Read the summary → - Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
05
Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson · Psychology
Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson wrote this book about the mechanisms by which people protect their sense of themselves as competent, moral, and well-intentioned after they have done something that contradicts that self-image.
Shares cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias with When Prophecy Fails.
Read the summary → - Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
06
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini · Psychology
Influence is Robert Cialdini's account of why people say yes, and how that agreement is manufactured.
Both dig into social influence.
Read the summary → - The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life
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The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life
David Robson · Psychology
David Robson's central argument is that expectations are not merely attitudes but biological agents.
Both dig into belief.
Read the summary → - Wanting
08
Luke Burgis · Psychology
Wanting is Luke Burgis's attempt to bring René Girard's theory of mimetic desire to a general audience.
Both dig into social influence.
Read the summary → - Contagious: Why Things Catch On
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Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Jonah Berger · Business
Contagious is Jonah Berger's analysis of why certain products, ideas, and stories spread through word of mouth while others, equally good or better, remain obscure.
Both dig into social influence.
Read the summary → - The Biology of Belief
10
Bruce H. Lipton · Health
The Biology of Belief is Bruce Lipton's argument that cells are controlled by signals from their environment rather than by genetic programs, and that human beings, as collections of cells, are therefore more powerfully shaped by their beliefs and perceptions than by their DNA.
Both dig into belief.
Read the summary → - 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
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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.
Read the summary → - A General Theory of Love
12
Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon · Psychology
A General Theory of Love is a 2000 book by three psychiatrists at the University of California, San Francisco — Thomas Lewis, Fari Amini, and Richard Lannon — who set out to explain love scientifically without stripping it of its significance.
A kindred psychology read.
Read the summary →
Books like When Prophecy Fails: quick answers
What are the best books like When Prophecy Fails?
The best books like When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger are Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with When Prophecy Fails, such as belief, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias.
What should I read after When Prophecy Fails?
A natural next read after When Prophecy Fails is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. A kindred psychology read. Other strong choices are Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt.
What books are similar to When Prophecy Fails by Leon Festinger?
When Prophecy Fails centers on belief, cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias. Books with a similar feel include Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
