Why We Act - Reviews
“From bullying on the playground to sexual harassment in the workplace, perfectly nice people often do perfectly awful things. But why? In this thoughtful and beautifully written book, Sanderson shows how basic principles of social psychology explain such behavior—and how they can be used to change it. A smart and practical guide to becoming a better and braver version of ourselves.” —Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness
“I tend to assume that all that can be said about human nature was said by Aristotle. Catherine Sanderson has challenged my prejudice with this lively and engaging book full of interesting observations about human beings and their actions. Or has she ‘merely’ updated Aristotle through the lens of modern social psychology? If so, that’s a worthy achievement.” —William Kristol, Director of Defending Democracy Together
“Why do so many people stand silent when someone does something bad? If you find yourself increasingly asking that question these days, you’re not alone—and Catherine Sanderson has written the book for you. Why We Act reviews the social psychological literature—from Milgram’s shocking findings onward—to explain why people who know better sometimes give wrongdoing a pass, and applies the field’s findings to everyday life, like bullying in schools, fraud and harassment in the workplace, and our current political life. A clear and engaging writer, Sanderson offers sound advice on how we can become better at doing what we know is right.” —George Conway, cofounder of The Lincoln Project