Surprise
Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected

Name: Surprise
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Tania Luna
ISBN: 9781481523240

Author: Tania Luna, LeeAnn Renninger PhD

Narrator: Tania Luna

Unabridged: 6 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 04/07/2015

Categories: Nonfiction, Self-help, Personal Growth

Synopsis

Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected is a fascinating look at how we can handle and harness surprise in our work, relationships, and everyday lives.Pop quiz: Do you prefer when things go according to plan or when the unexpected happens?Most of us pick control and predictability. Yet research reveals a counterintuitive truth: our best memories are the surprising ones. We feel most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel most alive when they're not. Surprise is also the little-known key to growth, attention, and connection. In Surprise, the authors present an unusual new perspective: by understanding the science of surprise, we can transform our work, relationships, and everyday life from ordinary to extraordinary.Through colorful narratives and fascinating scientific findings, the authors shine a light on the world's least understood and most intriguing emotion. They reveal how shifting our perception of surprise lets us thrive in the face of uncertainty. And they show us how surprise acts as a shortcut that turns a typical product into a meaningful experience, a good idea into a viral one, awkward small talk into engaging conversation, and everyday life into an adventure.

About Tania Luna

Tania Luna leads the culture department at LifeLabs NewYork. She is the cofounder of Surprise Industries. She also writes for Psychology Today and conducts research at Hunter College.

About LeeAnn Renninger PhD

LeeAnn Renninger, PhD, is the CEO and founder of LifeLabs New York. She received her PhD in social psychology from the University of Vienna, where she studied the differences between good and great communicators. At LifeLabs New York she helps managers around the globe catalyze better (and more surprising) thinking in themselves and others.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Robotconan on April 07, 2015

Easiest time iin the space between covers I've spent in a while. This is a delightful read, with beautiful life changing perspectives and science to refocus the world around you. Highly recommend......more

Goodreads review by Tanner on April 23, 2023

Could surprise—a powerful emotional enhancement—be one of the major contributing factors to the rise of anxiety? I’ve long wondered what causes anxiety and why some are more susceptible to it than others. How did I avoid crippling anxiety while many of my family and friends have not? Surprise may ho......more

Goodreads review by David on December 15, 2021

Loved it. A practical guide to why surprise matters in your life, and how to do about cultivating surprise--in others and yourself. I checked this out from the local library, but plan to get my own copy so I can write all over it, and use it to help create more surprises.......more

Goodreads review by C.J. on April 18, 2024

The topic undoubtedly is a 5/5; and the execution, though it varies, has the strength of a personal narrative interwoven science-ese and less-ease. In sum, it touches on all the somewhat intangible treasure of surprise -- which is wonder and smallness in a wide world, after all. But it never quite r......more

Goodreads review by Steve on April 02, 2018

Surprise was a personal development book I stumbled upon in a “recommended if you like” section of related books to Chip & Dan Heath’s The Power of Moments. I think there is something all of us can do to enrich our lives and interactions with others, so why not read up to learn more about how? I fou......more

Quotes

“I’ve always loved the element of surprise, but it wasn’t until reading this charming book that I fully understood why—and how to bring more of it into my life and the world.” Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author

“This book isn’t about what you think it is.” Seth Godin, New York Times bestselling author

“This is a vibrant, readable foray into the potential and the proper place for surprise in our lives…[and] we learn to see the world with fresh eyes…This entertaining, smartly packaged book leaves readers with a full set of practical tools geared toward making everyone surprise-seekers in their own lives.” Publishers Weekly

“The aim of Luna and Renninger’s book is to assist readers to learn how to see the unexpected as an invigorating element of life…A delightful, sophisticated read for everyone who desires a spark in their lives.” Library Journal

“Tania Luna’s authentic personal story and her sincere and vulnerable delivery will help listeners want to go along for the ride.” AudioFile