10 Books That Will Change Your Thinking

Today, we’ve made a list of 10 books that will change your thinking and improve your life. These are all books from various fields and by nuanced, intelligent authors that we’re sure will be helpful to you in changing your thought patterns.

The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli

This one is a must read for people who want to change their thinking and those who don’t – it talks about the fallacies and biases the mind is prone to. These errors in thinking and judgement make us think our decisions will lead to maximum profits when in fact that isn’t the case. This novel is a deep study of psychology – Dobelli has analysed the mind and listed 99 ways it makes mistakes. Once you know these and think of these before making a decision, your life will change, because your thinking has changed.

Think Like a Freak by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt

This novel will encourage you think the way you have always been told not to think – like a freak. Expanding the horizons of the mind to think creatively, divergently, out-of-the-box and productively – that is what this novel teaches you. Filled with examples and anecdotes across all fields, this novel will retrain your mind to think in new ways. For example – to shed the oral compass and embrace quitting, the art of persuasion, thinking like a child and thinking in terms of incentives – that’s what this book contains.

Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

This book puts into concrete terms the thing that everyone advises everyone yet that eludes everyone –‘stay in the moment.’ Drawing on eastern philosophies Chi and cycles of life, Tolle demonstrates how the road to bliss lies in the present moment. This book is truly enlightening and will change both your thinking and your life if you’re naturally an anxious person.

The Systems Thinker by Albert Rutherford

Systems thinking refers to a way of thinking holistically and in terms of interconnections between objects and ideas. Basically, it means looking at the big picture instead of focusing on each element. When we think in terms of structures, patterns, and cycles, we’re able to eke out more information that of we focus on micro-details. This book is a great introduction to systems thinking and a guide to how you can apply it in your workspace, relationships and generally in life. It’s beginner friendly, so it’s all the more helpful for those not from a science background!

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

In this novel, Frankl recounts his experiences in the Holocaust. He describes the horrors of the war, and the ways people found philosophical meaning in their life even amidst the gory. He goes on then explain his ‘logotherapy’ which says that the basic human drive is not pleasure, as Freud and others suggested, but meaning. Our desire to find spiritual meaning even in the direst circumstances is the only hope that remains for the horrors life unleashes.

Art Matters by Neil Gaiman

Art Matters is a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman that centres on exactly what its title indicates – art matters. This novel talks about the ways in which art has a deep impact on your life. It will force you to rethink your life, and include more art and creativity in it. Life wasn’t meant to be lived behind a desk, staring at a laptop screen and analysing numbers to maximise profits. Life should be embraced, by cultivating art.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This novel is the memoir of a neurosurgeon diagnosed with cancer who attempts to understand the meaning of life. He attempts to answer the question – if all organisms die, then what is the value of life and why should we live? And especially, what makes life worthwhile when you stare at death in the face, knowing you are in the last stages of your life? The book will give you a fresh perspective on life, and will motivate you to embrace your life and live it more fully.

Influence by Robert Cialdini

This book centres around the psychology of persuasion. Not only is this book great for businesses who want to market their products but also for individuals to know how they’re being influenced. In fact, this book is an essential read for everyone – it will make you aware of what things in your environment are influencing you in what ways. This will enable you to change your thought patterns to not fall for these influences.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

In this novel, Kahneman explains in detail the two ways in which our mind works. System 1 is the faster, less complex and heuristic based method of responding to immediate dangers. System 2 is the slower but more thorough and complex way of thinking. Kahneman talks about the upsides – speed and reaction time – and downsides – the biases and errors – of the fast way of thinking. Knowing how the mind works, will enable you to steer clear of these biases and change the way you think and make decisions.

How We Learn by Benedict Carey

This book attempts to reinvent your idea of learning. Is it merely a process of self-discipline where you must drown out all distractions and sit unhindered at a desk? Or are daydreaming, making mistakes, forgetting all an inevitable but enjoyable and necessary part of the process? Carey breaks this down and suggest strategies to make learning more interesting and recall more easy.

Also Read: Books That Teach You About Self-Respect And Self-Love