Episode · EconTalk · 2021-05-03
Books mentioned on Katy Milkman on How to Change
Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania talks about her book How to Change with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. What can we learn from research in psychology and behavioral economics about breaking the habits we want to change?
Russ Roberts discussed How to Change by Katy Milkman, One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis, and A Time to Build by Yuval Levin. Katy Milkman recommended Chatter by Ethan Kross.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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How to Change
How to Change by Katy Milkman is a popular science book that explores evidence-based strategies for overcoming personal hurdles and successfully transforming behavior to reach long-term goals.
Discussed“she is the james g dinan professor at the wharton school university of pennsylvania and the author of how to change the science of getting from where you are to where you want to be which is our topic for today katie welcome to econ talk”
Where to get it
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Chatter
Chatter by Ethan Kross is an insightful psychology book that explores the voice in our heads, examining why negative internal dialogue matters and how people can harness and manage their thoughts.
Recommended“actually i don't know if you know ethan cross he wrote a brilliant book called chatter he's a psychologist at the university of michigan”
Where to get it
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One Fat Englishman
One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis is a satirical and provocative novel that explores cultural clashes, trans-Atlantic relations, and human behavior through a morally complex and often controversial protagonist.
Discussed“because the other way of course you know i always like the kingsley amos line from one fat englishman uh which is a totally tasteless book by the way that that would be i don't even know if they they should i'm surprised that's been canceled”
Where to get it
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A Time to Build
A Time to Build by Yuval Levin is a political science book that examines the decline of institutional duty and how modern citizens increasingly use public platforms for self-aggrandizement rather than upholding communal norms.
Discussed“i'm thinking about you youval levin um who's booked a time to build is about how people have betrayed their you could call it their duty their obligation i would think of it as their identity say as journalists academics politicians”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“so in the book i write about two different strategies both the carrot and the stick we're trying to tackle willpower problems”
“um i'll give you another example of something that i think i write about in my book that i've studied and that i think is really related to ideas from religion and that is the fresh start effect”