Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World

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Successful people literally see the world differently. Now an award-winning scientist explains how anyone can leverage this "perception" gap to their advantage. Successful people literally see the world differently. Now an award-winning scientist explains how anyone can leverage this "perception gap" to their advantage. "Get ready for this book to change how you see everything you see."-Adam Grant,New York Timesbestselling author ofOriginalsandGive and Take When it comes to setting and meeting goals, we may see-quite literally-our plans, our progress, and our potential in the wrong ways. We perceive ourselves as being closer to or further from the end than we may actually be depending on our frame of reference. We handicap ourselves by looking too often at the big picture and at other times too long at the fine detail. But as award-winning social psychologist Emily Balcetis explains, there is great power in these misperceptions. We can learn to leverage perceptual illusions if we know when and how to use them to our advantage. Drawing on her own rigorous research and cutting-edge discoveries in vision science, cognitive research, and motivational psychology, Balcetis offers unique accounts of the perceptual habits, routines, and practices that successful people use to set and meet their ambitions. Through case studies of entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, and celebrities-as well as her own colorful experience of trying to set and reach a goal-she brings to life four powerful yet largely untapped visual tactics that can be applied according to the situation. Narrow your focus- Closing the aperture of your attention helps you exercise effectively, save money, and find more time in your day. Widen the bracket- Seeing the forest instead of the trees reduces temptations and helps you recognize when a change of course is in order. Materialize your plan and your progress- Creating checklists and objective assessments inspires better planning and adjusts your gauge of what's really left to be done. Control your frame of reference- Knowing where to direct attention improves your ability to read others' emotions, negotiate better deals, foster stronger relationships, and overcome a fear of public speaking. A mind-blowing and original tour of perception, Clearer, Closer, Betterwill help you see the possibilities in what you can't see now. Inspiring, motivating, and always entertaining, it demonstrates that if we take advantage of our visual experiences, they can lead us to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives every day.

Reviews

Emily BalcetisClearer, Closer, Betterisas entertaining as it is importanta book that teaches you how to see the world, both literally and figuratively, in the service of cultivating a life of happiness, meaning, health, and prosperity.Balcetis writes with such verve that youll forget youre learning, but along the way youll discover how titans of business, the arts, sports, and fashion perceive the world to maximize their prospects of success.One of the most importantand engagingbooks Ive read in a very long time.Adam Alter,New York Timesbestselling author ofIrresistibleandDrunk Tank Pink

Clearer, Closer,Betteroffers anincisive analysis of the many ways we get things wrongmisinterpret, dont look closely enough, see what we want to see, respond to the way things are phrased or positioned instead of the thing itselfas well as a highly applicable road map to getting them right.Amy Cuddy, bestselling author ofPresence

If youre staring down a goal that seems overwhelming, this book will give you a new way of looking at it. A rising star in the field of social psychology, Emily Balcetis gets real about the challenges of applying scientific insights to the messiness of daily life. InClearer, Closer, Better,sheoffers sage, practical advice that Ive already incorporated into mine.Elizabeth Dunn, co-author ofHappy Money: The Science of Happier Spending

Ambitious . . . relatable and often thought-provoking.Kirkus Reviews

With insight, charm, and deep wisdom, Emily Balcetis wraps big ideas in sparkling prose to produce a book thats too good to miss.Daniel Gilbert, PhD, author ofStumbling on Happiness

Get ready for this book to change how you see everything you see.Emily Balcetis is a world-class expert on vision and perception, and her lucid language and striking studies are eye-opening.Adam Grant,New York Timesbestselling author ofOriginalsandGive and Take, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

Author Bio

Emily Balcetis, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at New York University. She received her PhD from Cornell University in 2006, and is the author of more than seventy scientific publications. Her work has been covered byForbes, Newsweek, Time,Telemundo, National Public Radio,Scientific American,The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan,andGQ. She has received numerous awards, including from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences, the International Society for Self and Identity, the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology, and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology. Balcetis has lectured at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago, among other renowned institutions, and she delivered a TEDx New York talk that has been viewed by several million people. She lives in New York City with her husband and their son.