Alchemy

Rory Sutherland, of the advertising agency Ogilvy, argues that humans do not reason their way to decisions from evidence in the logical way often assumed, and that economists, businesses and governments go wrong by assuming they are. In his first book he combines behavioural science, stories and branding to show why setting logic aside can solve problems. His examples ask why Red Bull is popular even though people dislike the taste, why countdown boards on train platforms ease the pain of delays, and why people prefer stripy toothpaste. Sutherland suggests that big problems, for individuals and for society, could often be solved by thinking less logically. It was published in 2019.

Steven Bartlett included it among his book picks for the Audible UK blog.