What does it take to become an expert?
The short answer is a combination of theory backed up by a lot of practice. 10,000 hours to be exact if you believe Malcolm Gladwell.
Sadly, there don’t seem to be any shortcuts. You’ve got to do the work to earn the badge.
The hardest part, is getting started on your journey. It can sometimes be so daunting that you’re not really sure where to start. However, as a wise man once said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
With this in mind, we take a look at the fascinating but not exactly sexy sounding subject of Behavioural Economics, with some top resources to set you off in the right direction.
5 books to read:
1) Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler
2) The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton
3) Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely
4) Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade by Robert Cialdini
5) Alchemy by Rory Sutherland
5 podcast episodes to listen to:
1) Michael Lewis on how behavioural economics change the world (Intelligence Squared)
2) Pre-suasion with Robert Cialdini (The Art of Charm)
3) The Psychology of Advertising with Rory Sutherland (Farnam Street)
4) Dollars and Sense with Jeff Kreisler (O Behave)
5) Behavioural Economics with Greg Davies (The Financial Wellbeing Podcast)
5 twitter handles to follow:
5 TED talks to watch:
1. Dan Ariely: Are we in control of our decisions?
2. Rory Sutherland: Sweat the small stuff
3. Alex Laskey: How behavioral science can lower your energy bill
4. Sendhil Mullainathan: Solving social problems with a nudge
5. Daniel Kahneman: The riddle of experience vs. memory
Alternatively, you can skip the above and take an online course in Behavioural Economics and/or Applied Behavioural Science, both from the brilliant, charming and witty Rory Sutherland.
Behavioural Science for Brands course is also available with the fabulous, Richard Shotton.
