Be Who You Want, Christian Jarrett
Be Who You Want, Christian Jarrett
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Be Who You Want
Unlocking the Science of Personality Change

Author: Christian Jarrett

Narrator: Joe Jameson

Unabridged: 7 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/18/2021


Synopsis

From cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Christian Jarrett, a fascinating book exploring the science of personality and how we can change ourselves for the better.

What if you could exploit the plasticity of personality to change yourself in specific ways?

Would you choose to become less neurotic? More self-disciplined? Less shy?

Until now, we’ve been told that we’re stuck with the personality we were born with: The introvert will never break out of their shell, the narcissist will be forever trapped gazing into the mirror.

In Be Who You Want, Dr. Christian Jarrett takes us on a thrilling journey, as he not only explores the ways that life changes us, but shows how we can deliberately shape our personalities to influence the course of our lives.

Dr. Jarrett draws on the latest research to provide evidence-based ways to change each of the main five personality traits, including how to become more emotionally stable, extraverted, and open-minded. Dr. Jarrett features compelling stories of people who have achieved profound personality change such as a gang-leader turned youth role model, a drug addict turned ultra-runner, and a cripplingly shy teenager turned Hollywood mega-star. He also delves into the upsides of the so-called Dark Triad of personality traits—narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—and how we might exploit their advantages without ourselves going over to the dark side.

Filled with quizzes and interactive exercises to help us better understand the various aspects of our personalities, life stories, and passions, Be Who You Want will appeal to anyone who has ever felt constrained by how they've been characterized and wants to pursue lasting change.

About Christian Jarrett

A cognitive neuroscientist by training, Christian Jarrett has been popularizing psychology and neuroscience for over two decades. His award-winning writing on the mind, brain, and behavior has appeared in publications across the world, including the BBC, New York magazine, VICE, Aeon, The Guardian, GQ, WIRED, and many more. Today he is Deputy Editor of Psyche, a digital magazine that illuminates the human condition. Dr. Jarrett has written several critically acclaimed books including The Rough Guide to Psychology and Great Myths of the Brain. He was also a consultant editor and lead author for the best-selling 30-Second Psychology. He lives in the countryside near Brighton, England with his wife and twins (a boy and a girl) and their miniature schnauzer. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Alicia

There were parts of this book that I really liked but I ended up coming away disappointed. The author helps you figure out where you are on a series of personality traits like extroversion, neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness. Then he talks about how these affect your life and gives examples......more

Goodreads review by Chris

As someone who loves reading books on psychology, I’ve read quite a few books on personality change, and this is one of the best. Sometimes, I worry that books like these will just be filled with a bunch of pseudoscience and disproven studies, but throughout the book, Jarrett debunks a ton of myths......more

Goodreads review by Julicke

A self-help book with actual science behind it, now that's something I can get behind.......more

Goodreads review by Tony

Tim Harford you have let me down. This recent recommendation from the "Undercover Economist" didn't work for me. A psychology based self help book aimed at understanding how people can amend traits of their personalities - become less neurotic or more extrovert for example. The approach taken was we......more

Goodreads review by April

The best part of the book is bibliography Well-researched. Mostly stories with a few simplistic exercises thrown in. I liked the premise, but it needs more. Good start.......more