Magazine / 3 Books That Will Make You Say “Whoa!”

3 Books That Will Make You Say “Whoa!”

Psychology Science

A sense of flabbergasted surprise is often associated with fictional stories—with the twist at the end of a murder mystery, for example. But it turns out that math, science, and psychology offer their own jaw-dropping surprises, and the three heady books below reveal a number of curious facts that are sure to make you say “whoa!”

Download the Next Big Idea App for “Book Bite” summaries of hundreds of new nonfiction books like these—all prepared and read by the authors themselves.

Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity

By Antonio Padilla

A leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star takes the reader on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics, offering a startling picture of how the universe works. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Antonio Padilla, in the Next Big Idea App

Don’t Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life

By Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

A former Google data scientist explains how hard facts and figures contradict our instincts yet reveal self-help that actually works—whether it involves the best time in life to start a business, or how happy it actually makes us to skip a friend’s birthday party for a night of Netflix on the couch. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, in the Next Big Idea App

The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity

By Bobby Azarian

Carl Sagan once said of humanity that “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement rests on a scientific foundation, and gives us a new way to know the cosmos—along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Bobby Azarian, in the Next Big Idea App

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