If you are considering a career in psychology, particularly business psychology, one of the best ways to prepare is by reading business psychology books. These books can be wonderful resources for discussing new discoveries in business psychology and prepare you for your career.
Below are 5 great books for business psychologists, as selected by Inc. magazine:
1 . Thinking, Fast and Slow – by Daniel Kahneman
This New York Times bestseller from Israeli psychologist Daniel Kahneman explores the in-depth processes by which people make decisions. Kahneman labels the human decision-making process into two categories, System 1 and System 2, one used for snap decisions and the other for slower, more rational thought processes. Kahneman explains how and why humans prefer to use System 1 whenever possible, and why there are several logical flaws in this system (otherwise known as heuristics).
2. Redirect – by Timothy Wilson
An excellent book for learning how people can successfully change their behavior. Wilson mixes in anecdotes and stories from real-life examples to show how making small changes to a person’s perspective can have lasting effects on their behavior. Wilson’s overall premise is that the narrative (or the “story” of their life) that most people tell themselves has a tangible effect on behavior. Therefore, by making small changes in reframing their narrative, people can enjoy permanent improvements in their behavior.
3. Drive – by Daniel Pink
Rather than focusing on how people pilot automobiles, the title of this book refers to motivation. Author Pink details the latest breakthroughs in human motivation psychological studies and how these can be applied to yourself and others. Pink deconstructs the normal motivations that people ascribe to behavior like rewards (“carrots”) and punishments (“sticks”) and instead demonstrates how the most effective motivation comes from an innate need for humans to be masters of their own destiny, learn new things, and improve the world.
4. Stumbling on Happiness – by Dan Gilbert
Gilbert set out to discover the source of happiness. In the process, he realized that the reasons most people ascribe to their happiness are actually wrong. In this engaging and witty book, Harvard University professor Gilbert shows how limitations of imagination may be the biggest obstacle to achieving true happiness. Along the way, Gilbert shows how many of our innate beliefs about happiness are actually inaccurate conclusions that we learn from other people. Gilbert’s ultimate conclusion is that focusing on others is the true path to contentment and a sense of fulfillment.
Related Resource: 5 Great Books for Clinical Psychologists
5. The Art of Choosing – by Sheena Iyengar
Many excellent books have been written on how people make decisions, but this lengthy tome by Iyengar combines extensive research and deep insights in human behavior to shed a powerful spotlight on how people determine their preferences and what motivates them into making decisions and taking action. Iyengar patiently deconstructs the everyday choices that people make, both mundane and life-changing, and shows how most decisions are influenced by outside influences, occasionally even to an individual’s personal detriment. A prominent social psychologist, Iyengar uses clear writing and numerous scientific studies to illustrate the importance of the decision-making process in people’s lives.
