So what’s a nice book about psychology doing on a blog like this. Take a seat on the couch, and we can talk about it. 

It’s a small world when it comes to blogging. One day I came across the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest Blog, which is written and edited by Christian Jarrett, Ph.D., a British psychologist. I’ve referenced studies that Christian wrote about in several of my blogs. (See One More Reason to Consider A Commuter Transit Benefit, ERISA, It’s Not Elementary, and What We’ve Got Here Is Failure To Communicate.

So when I learned that Christian and his American co-author, Joannah Ginsburg, an American psychotherapist and journalist, published a book, I was eager to see whether it was as interesting and as helpful as the BPS blog. The answer is a resounding yes.

 

Here’s how the publisher describes it:

 

This Book Has Issues delves deep into the human consciousness and casts light onto the reasons why we think, feel, and act the way we do. Packed with illuminating real-life examples, introductions to groundbreaking psychologists, and plenty of experiments and tests to unveil the way your own mind works, This Book Has Issues has the power not just to intrigue and entertain, but also to change the way you think. Divided into eight fascinating chapters, This Book Has Issues covers everything from the real reasons we fall in love to the science behind a good night’s sleep. From extreme disorders to the truth behind the ways we live our everyday lives, This Book Has Issues takes you on a journey through the amazing landscape of the mind.

 

That’s from the publisher’s marketing department. So let me translate it from “popular psychology” into “retirement plan psychology”.

 

The success of any retirement plan depends on how the needs and expectation of the plan sponsor, participants, and beneficiaries can be met. In other words, the human factor drives the plan’s success.

 

So in that context, if you want to:

  • Learn how our brains can sometimes make mistakes
  • Get tips to boost your memory abilities
  • How to look at problems some people have with language and counting
  • Challenge your basic ideas on behavior and communication
  • Get the latest research on relationship, leadership, and brainstorming
  • Get to know yourself better using a range of tests
  • Learn how to deal better with stress
  • Learn how to get better sleep

Then This Book Has Issues is for you.

 

It travels well also. You can listen to two excellent book reviews from Radio New Zealand (MP3 file), and on the Australian radio show, Faster Than Light.

 

Christian’s and Joannah’s book is available in the U.S. from Barnes and Noble and in the U.K from Amazon U.K.

 

Author’s Note: Here are links to the other book reviews I’ve done: Josh Itzoe’s timely Fixing The 401(k) and Fran Hawthorne’s controversial Pension Dumping: The Reasons, The Wreckage, The Stakes for Wall Street.