Mystery
A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestselling author Jonah Lehrer “unravels the mystery of mysteries” in this “absolute delight” (Malcolm Gladwell) of a book that blends psychology, neuroscience, and anthropology to shine a new light on everything from the formulas of our favorite detective shows to the tricks of successful advertising campaigns and the calculated risks of the stock market.
Why is mystery so compelling? What draws us to the unknown? Jonah Lehrer sets out to answer these questions in a vividly entertaining and surprisingly profound journey through the science of suspense. He finds that nothing can capture a person’s attention as strongly as mystery, and that mystery is the key principle in how humans view and understand the world. Whenever patterns are broken, we are hard-wired to find out why. Without our curiosity driving us to pursue new discoveries and solve stubborn problems, we would never have achieved the breakthroughs that have revolutionized human medicine, technology—and culture. From Shakespeare’s plays to the earliest works of the detective genre, our entertainment and media have continually reinvented successful forms of mystery to hook audiences.
Here, Lehrer interviews individuals in unconventional fields—from dedicated small-business owners to innovative schoolteachers—who use mystery to challenge themselves and to motivate others to reach to new heights. He also examines the indelible role of mystery in our culture, revealing how the magical world of Harry Potter triggers the magic of dopamine in our brains, why the baseball season is ten times longer than the football season, and when the suspect is introduced in each episode of Law & Order.
Fascinating, illuminating, and fun, Mystery explores the many surprising ways in which embracing a sense of awe and curiosity can enrich our lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Why are people intrigued by mysteries, wonders Lehrer (A Book About Love) in this fascinating look at how humans respond to the unknown. In digging into the "mystery of mystery," Lehrer begins with fiction, crediting Edgar Allan Poe with inventing a new kind of story whose appeal relied upon "the element of surprise" and turned readers into sleuths themselves, actively searching the texts for clues. He then examines why that itch is so gripping, maintaining that the biggest spikes in dopamine come from surprises. Lehrer branches out from there, surveying Shakespeare, who transformed a key element of the story that inspired Hamlet (making uncertain the question of whether his father had been murdered), the legendary blackout ending of The Sopranos, and the illusions of stage magicians. The only false note comes from a section endorsing a study that claimed plot spoilers actually enhance the reading experiences, which doesn't mesh with his thesis that the unexpected matters most. Despite that dissonant note, this is a thought-provoking look at an aspect of human psychology—and literature—often taken for granted.
