Books to read in 2024
Dive into the Depths of Human Behavior and Economic Forces: Must-Read Non-Fiction
Choosing the "best" books is subjective and depends on what interests you, your current knowledge level, and your preferred writing style. However, I can recommend some highly-rated and accessible non-fiction books about economics and/or human psychology that might be a good starting point for you:
Economics:
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: This Nobel Prize-winning book delves into how our brains make decisions, revealing biases and heuristics that can lead to irrational economic choices.
- Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: This entertaining book uses economic principles to explain seemingly unrelated topics like sumo wrestling, drug gangs, and school cheating.
- The Big Short by Michael Lewis: This gripping narrative tells the story of the 2008 financial crisis through the eyes of those who predicted it and profited from it.
- Capitalism in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty: This thought-provoking book examines wealth inequality and argues that capitalism, if left unchecked, tends to concentrate wealth in the hands of the few.
- Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth: This accessible book presents a new economic model that aims to meet human needs within the planetary boundaries, moving away from the traditional model of endless growth.
Human Psychology:
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari: This popular book examines the history of humanity from our prehistoric ancestors to the present day, focusing on cognitive, social, and cultural developments.
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: This book explores the science of habit formation and offers practical strategies for changing unwanted habits and forming new ones.
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman: This influential book defines emotional intelligence and shows how it can impact our personal and professional lives.
- Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: This powerful memoir recounts the author's experience in Nazi concentration camps and explores the importance of finding meaning in life amidst suffering.
- The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt: This book explains how humans are divided into different moral tribes and provides insights into how we can better understand and bridge these divides.
Bonus:
- Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely: This book examines the many ways in which our decisions are influenced by irrational biases and provides insights into how businesses can use these biases to their advantage.
- Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Todd Gilbert: This book explores the psychology of happiness and reveals why our intuition about what makes us happy is often wrong.
These are just a few suggestions, and there are many other great books out there. I recommend checking online reviews and author interviews to get a better sense of which books might be right for you. You can also ask librarians or friends for recommendations.
I hope this helps!