Numbermania

An entertaining and thought-provoking antidote to the tyranny of numbers in the modern world. -Alex Bellos, author of Can You Solve My Problems?

A smart and insightful read that will totally change the way you think - and live. -Thomas Erikson, author of Sunday Times bestseller Surrounded By Idiots

Written in lucid, skillfully translated prose that puts the science into philosophical perspective, this shines a fascinating light on the modern-day obsession with numerical quantity over quality. -Publishers Weekly

In 31,234 words Dahlen and Thorbjornsen cast their four critical, and at times whimsical, eyes at our numbered existences revealing that consuming too much 'pi' might be bad for our health. -Professor Scott Page, author of The Model Thinker

How many steps have you done today?

How many emails answered?

How much money have you spent this week?

And how many hours have you slept?

Welcome to the numberdemic, where a deluge of figures, stats and data manipulate your every move. From the way you work, date and exercise to the products you buy and the news you read, numbers have worked their way into every part of our lives. But is life better this way? How are all of those numbers affecting us?

With fascinating, sometimes frightening and sometimes shrewdly funny research, behavioural economists Micael Dahlen and Helge Thorbjornsen explain why we're so attached to numbers and how we can free ourselves from their tyranny. Along the way, you'll learn why viral videos, however inaccurate, become more convincing with every view; how numbers can affect the way we physically age, if we let them; why the more films you rate the less impressive you'll find them and how numbers that 'anchor' themselves in your brain can affect the size of your mortgage - plus much more.

Sharp, insightful and totally engaging, Numbermania is your vaccination against a world obsessed with numbers.