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About the Book\xa0

With their trademark blend of captivating storytelling and unconventional analysis, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner take us inside their thought process and teach us all how to think a bit more productively, more creatively, more rationally.

In\xa0Think Like A Freak, they offer a blueprint for an entirely new way to solve problems, whether your interest lies in minor lifehacks or major global reforms. The topics range from business to philanthropy to sports to politics, all with the goal of retraining your brain. Along the way, you\u2019ll learn the secrets of a Japanese hot-dog-eating champion, the reason an Australian doctor swallowed a batch of dangerous bacteria, and why Nigerian e-mail scammers make a point of saying they\u2019re from Nigeria.

Levitt and Dubner plainly see the world like no one else. Now you can too. Never before have such iconoclastic thinkers been so revealing\u2014and so much fun to read.\u2019

Source:\xa0https://www.amazon.com/\xa0

Buy the book from The Book Depository - https://www.bookdepository.com/Think-Like-Freak-Steven-D-Levitt/9780062295927/?a_aid=stephsbookshelf

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About the Authors

Steven and Stephen are co-authors of the \u201cFreakonomics\u201d book series, which have sold millions of copies in 40 languages, and host of Freakonomics Radio, which gets 15 million global monthly downloads and is heard by millions more on NPR and other radio outlets.

Steven D. Levitt is the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, where he directs the Becker Center on Chicago Price Theory. In 2006, he was named one of Time magazine\u2019s 100 People Who Shape Our World. In addition to his academic and Freakonomics pursuits, he is a founding partner of TGG Group consulting firm. He lives in Chicago with his wife Jeannette and their four children.

Stephen J. Dubner is an award-winning author, journalist, and TV and radio personality. Dubner\u2019s journalism has also been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time and elsewhere. He has taught English at Columbia University, played in a rock band and, as a writer, was first published at the age of 11. He lives in New York with his wife, the docu mentary photographer Ellen Binder, and their children.

Source:\xa0https://freakonomics.com/about/\xa0

Would you like to take better notes from the books you read? \xa0Get your copy of Archley's beautiful book journal, the Book of Books here: https://www.archleys.com/?ref=JamVyS-U4mVR

LINKS

Freakonomics podcast

No stupid questions podcast
Dubner and Levitt revisit the abortion research and its challenges:\xa0https://freakonomics.com/podcast/abortion/

BIG IDEA 1 (5:27) \u2013 Correlation is not oranges.

There are many examples in the book around correlation not equaling causation. A lot of things require second order thinking, the question of \u2018what else\u2019. One example in the book is the famous connection between falling crime rates and the legalisation of abortion, 18-20 years earlier. This shows that answers might be uncomfortable but it doesn\u2019t mean they should be ignored or unexplored.\xa0

By digging in a little bit deeper, we make better choices and decisions by using the right information. The authors say that we sometimes need to put away our moral compass when trying to find out what\u2019s really happening. Because we might miss things that we don\u2019t like, but it doesn\u2019t mean they are not true.

BIG IDEA 2 (7:46) \u2013 Ask the right questions.

The right questions might include \u2013 what will happen next? There are some examples in the books around unintended consequences as a result of (what seemed like genius) problem solving. We need to ask what else could be causing this, or what else is contributing to this situation.\xa0

There was an example in the book about children who are having difficulties at school. Initial thoughts were that these kids weren\u2019t very smart or even lazy. Turns out they just couldn\u2019t see the board at the front of the room. A quick and cheap fix of giving them glasses meant they were able to contribute in class and do much better.

There was a whole chapter in the book about understanding the root cause of problems. And understanding whether the cause is really the effect, and whether you helped a symptom or cured the actual problem.\xa0

This requires the ability to say \u2018I don\u2019t know\u2019 because if you don\u2019t, you won\u2019t be able to ask better questions. And in turn, won\u2019t get better answers and better solutions.

BIG IDEA 3 (9:56) \u2013 Quit more.

The very core of thinking like a freak is the ability to let go. It is letting go of the system, limits, of saying you don\u2019t know and of first order thinking. This can also involve quitting bigger things like jobs, relationships or alcohol, whatever it happens to be. If in doubt whether to quit something or not, toss a coin.

It turns out that tossing a coin on a decision can take away the idea of failure, because *we* didn\u2019t fail and quit, the coin told us to do it. Importantly, by quitting more, we can offset the opportunity of carrying on with things that aren\u2019t serving us anymore and waste time that could be spent on other opportunities, tasks, relationships and activities.

Music: Is It Hip-Hop by Lighbeats

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