Behavioural Science: What Is It?

Behavioural Science is, primarily, a branch of science that deals with study of human behaviour and actions. The term “behavioural science” encompasses anthropology, psychology, sociology and political science, just to name a few.

A relatively new field, Behavioural Science claims that human behaviour is controlled by a complex web of factors. These factors shape how we think and react as individuals, groups or as a whole society.

Behavioural Science also provides insight about the trends in consumers. Trends in products, marketing, and the success and failures of business models are all influenced by behavioural science.

Given below are the ten of the best behavioural science books. Listed out based on their popularity and contents, these books are sure to provide a better understanding of this profoundly important topic.

Understanding Behavioural Science With Books

1.The Art of Thinking Clearly

Written by Rolf Dobelli, this book is divided into a hundred chapters, with each one dedicated to a single bias. It talks about simple errors that we make on a daily basis, how to avoid them and make better life choices.

2.Irrationality

Authored by Stuart Sutherland, Irrationality is one of the best psychology books that covers a huge range of biases. Readers will be able to relate to many of the aspects in the book, which is said to make a joyful read.

3.The Social Animal

The Social Animal is Elliot Aronson’s compelling introduction to modern psychology. The lucid narration touches on the subjects of terrorism, obedience, politics, interpersonal relations and the power of religious cults. Receiving high ratings, this book is a must-have to understand modern social psychology.

4.Mindless Eating

This book by Brian Wansink is a fresh take on one interesting aspect of psychology: the psychology of food. This book will literally change your perception about food and the human obsession with it. Brian’s analysis of food and the mind is astounding. If anything, this book will at least help you make wiser food choices.

5.Inside the Nudge Unit

Penned by behavioural scientist Dr. David Halpern, this book has 4 broad themes of nudging-making it easy, attractive , social and timely. The “nudge theory” is what the UK government is using to improve government policy and services.

More Books That Put The Spotlight On Behavioural Science

6.Behavioural Insights Team Reports

This book is a fascinating compilation of government experiments that were conducted by the Behavioural Insights team. There are plenty of examples of the application of behavioural principles and their outcome. The analysis also discusses the principles that worked well and those that didn’t.

7.The Person And The Situation

Authored jointly by Lee Ross, Richard E. Nisbett and Malcolm Galdwell, this book is particularly recommended for those who are already familiar with psychology. The contents of the book are so profound that they will change the way one views and judges people.

8.The Wiki Man

Brilliantly authored by Rory Sutherland, The Wiki Man talks about the many ways of behavioural science that are simple and straightforward. The book is a brilliant, witty and wonderful introduction to behavioural economics. Rory Sutherland also gives insightful TEDtalks.

9.Blink: The Power Of Thinking

Another great book by Malcolm Gladwell, Blink is all about unconscious decision making. Gladwell states that we as humans act instinctively, but insists that one should act relying on data rather than going by instinct.

10.How The Mind Works

As the final behavioural science book on the list, we recommend this book, written by one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists, Steven Pinker. Winner of awards and prizes from prestigious names like the Time magazine, The New Yorker, Publisher’s Weekly, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, etc , the book analyzes how the mind has evolved to behave the way it does.