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jdscott50 's review for:
Think Like a Freak
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner are not immune to controversy, or going against the crowd. Their previous books Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics demonstrate how thinking differently can solve some of society’s biggest problems. In this new book, they describe the thinking process in order to help people Think Like a Freak. Those who are sold on their previous books will lap these ideas up. On its own it is a great book for problem solvers.
The authors start off with a simple sports analogy. You are playing soccer and you are given a penalty kick. Due to the distance from you to the goalie, he must guess which way you are going to kick. Statistically, players will kick to the right 58% of the time, to the left 40% of the time, and to the middle 2% of the time. The goalie will react accordingly and guess left or right, but a 2% chance of standing still. Statistically, you should kick it in the middle, since he won’t be expecting it, but the fear of embarrassment from not kicking it right to the goalie are too great. Better to do what everyone else does, and if you fail, you are in good company. The major point of the book is that concept. We have to think about problems differently and stop being afraid of having a stupid answer. If we really look at a problem without all these preconceived notions, we can come up with creative solutions. Often, the problem isn’t finding a solution; it is asking the right question.
The authors introduce many great basic concepts that people can apply to everyday situations. Knowing when to say "I don’t know" stood out for me specifically. I think too often we try to answer questions ourselves out of fear of embarrassment. We don’t want to look stupid. However, in trying to answer something we know nothing about, not only will we look stupid, we will also misdirect someone seeking help. It’s this investigative mindset that was most intriguing for me. It is an encouragement to be your own detective. Go into a concept with no preconceptions, ask stupid questions, and experiment. This book is a recipe for fun and the delight of discovery.
Even though this was an extremely short book, the authors are really able to translate their tricks to the reader. Most people aren’t tackling global economic issues, but trying to figure out a plan for their business, or make simple decisions in their personal lives. These concepts are easily translatable and useful. I found that I am already using some of those techniques myself. I can also start to see how other people are doing the same thing.
The authors start off with a simple sports analogy. You are playing soccer and you are given a penalty kick. Due to the distance from you to the goalie, he must guess which way you are going to kick. Statistically, players will kick to the right 58% of the time, to the left 40% of the time, and to the middle 2% of the time. The goalie will react accordingly and guess left or right, but a 2% chance of standing still. Statistically, you should kick it in the middle, since he won’t be expecting it, but the fear of embarrassment from not kicking it right to the goalie are too great. Better to do what everyone else does, and if you fail, you are in good company. The major point of the book is that concept. We have to think about problems differently and stop being afraid of having a stupid answer. If we really look at a problem without all these preconceived notions, we can come up with creative solutions. Often, the problem isn’t finding a solution; it is asking the right question.
The authors introduce many great basic concepts that people can apply to everyday situations. Knowing when to say "I don’t know" stood out for me specifically. I think too often we try to answer questions ourselves out of fear of embarrassment. We don’t want to look stupid. However, in trying to answer something we know nothing about, not only will we look stupid, we will also misdirect someone seeking help. It’s this investigative mindset that was most intriguing for me. It is an encouragement to be your own detective. Go into a concept with no preconceptions, ask stupid questions, and experiment. This book is a recipe for fun and the delight of discovery.
Even though this was an extremely short book, the authors are really able to translate their tricks to the reader. Most people aren’t tackling global economic issues, but trying to figure out a plan for their business, or make simple decisions in their personal lives. These concepts are easily translatable and useful. I found that I am already using some of those techniques myself. I can also start to see how other people are doing the same thing.