Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want
Myron Scholes Global Markets Forum
March 5, 2014, 5:30–7 p.m., Gleacher Center
You are a mind reader, born with an extraordinary ability to understand what others think, feel, believe, want, and know. It’s a sixth sense you use every day, in every personal and professional relationship you have. At its best, this ability allows you to achieve the most important goal in almost any life: connecting, deeply and intimately and honestly, to other human beings. At its worst, it is a source of misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict, leading to damaged relationships and broken dreams.
How good are you at knowing the minds of others? How well can you guess what others think of you, know who really likes you, or tell when others are lying? How well do you really understand the minds of those closest to you, from your spouse to your kids to your closest friends? Do you really know what your coworkers, employees, competitors, or clients want?
Nicholas Epley, John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavior Science at Chicago Booth, will discuss his new book, an illuminating exploration of one of the great mysteries of the human mind. Professor Epley introduces what scientists have learned about our abilities to understand the most complicated puzzle on the planet—other people—and the surprising mistakes we so routinely make. Why are we sometimes blind to the minds of others, treating them like objects or animals instead? Why do we sometimes talk to our cars, or the stars, as if there is a mind that can hear us? Why do we so routinely believe that others think, feel, and want what we do when, in fact, they do not? And why do we believe we understand our spouses, family, and friends so much better than we actually do? Mindwise will not turn others into open books, but it will give you the wisdom to revolutionize how you think about them—and yourself.
The Myron Scholes Global Markets Forum is part of the Initiative on Global Markets (IGM) and is generously sponsored by Myron Scholes.
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