Leading psychologist Nicholas Epley explains why our social fears are often mistaken and how small acts of connection can transform our lives.

We are among the most social species on the planet, uniquely equipped to connect with others. Doing so makes us happier, healthier and more successful. Yet so often we shy away from it – whether that’s saying hello to the stranger who sits next to us, or moving beyond small talk with a work colleague, or expressing our gratitude to people we appreciate. Why?

In this inspiring book, psychologist Nicholas Epley reveals how misplaced social fears interrupt our instinct to connect and how to overcome them. Drawing on decades of research, he shows that bridging the gap between two people is far easier than we think and success is more likely than we imagine. Whether introvert or extrovert, we all can benefit from being just a little more social. And as Epley shows, gradually building wiser social habits can ultimately have life-changing results.

From leading psychologist Nicholas Epley, Mindwise reveals our real sixth sense - our ability to understand our own minds and the minds of others Arguably our brain's greatest sense is the ability to understand the minds of others - our sixth sense. In Mindwise, renowned psychologist Nicholas Epley shows that this incredible capacity for inferring what others are thinking and feeling is, however sophisticated, still prone to critical errors. We often misread social situations, misjudge others' characters, or guess the wrong motives for their actions. Drawing on the latest in psychological research, Epley suggests that only by learning more about our sixth sense will we have the humility to overcome these errors and understand others as they actually are instead of as we imagine them to be. 'Lucid and magnetic ... a guide to understanding the minds of others' Independent 'A comfortingly slim volume about the ability we all have to understand others ... how wonderful to have this insight into the extent of our ignorance' - Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times Nicholas Epley is the John T. Keller Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has written for The New York Times, and has published over 50 articles in two dozen journals in his field. He was named a "Professor to Watch" by the Financial Times, is the winner of the 2008 Theoretical Innovation Prize from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and was awarded the 2011 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology from the American Psychological Association. He lives in Chicago.

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 someone is lying? How well do you really understand the minds of those closest to you, from your spouse to your kids to your best friends? Do you really know what your coworkers, employees, competitors, or clients want?
In this illuminating exploration of one of the great mysteries of the human mind, University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley introduces us to what scientists have learned about our ability 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? 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 other people into open books, but it will give you the wisdom to revolutionize how you think about them--and yourself.

"From the Hardcover edition."