Copycats and Contrarians
Why We Follow Others... and When We Don't
Published on 29. May 2018
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-300-22022-3 (ISBN)
Description
A multidisciplinary exploration of our human inclination to herd and why our instinct to copy others can be dangerous in today's interlinked world
Rioting teenagers, tumbling stock markets, and the spread of religious terrorism appear to have little in common, but all are driven by the same basic instincts: the tendency to herd, follow, and imitate others. In today's interconnected world, group choices all too often seem maladaptive. With unprecedented speed, information flashes across the globe and drives rapid shifts in group opinion. Adverse results can include speculative economic bubbles, irrational denigration of scientists and other experts, seismic political reversals, and more.
Drawing on insights from across the social, behavioral, and natural sciences, Michelle Baddeley explores contexts in which behavior is driven by the herd. She analyzes the rational vs. nonrational and cognitive vs. emotional forces involved, and she investigates why herding only sometimes works out well. With new perspectives on followers, leaders, and the pros and cons of herd behavior, Baddeley shines vivid light on human behavior in the context of our ever-more-connected world.
Rioting teenagers, tumbling stock markets, and the spread of religious terrorism appear to have little in common, but all are driven by the same basic instincts: the tendency to herd, follow, and imitate others. In today's interconnected world, group choices all too often seem maladaptive. With unprecedented speed, information flashes across the globe and drives rapid shifts in group opinion. Adverse results can include speculative economic bubbles, irrational denigration of scientists and other experts, seismic political reversals, and more.
Drawing on insights from across the social, behavioral, and natural sciences, Michelle Baddeley explores contexts in which behavior is driven by the herd. She analyzes the rational vs. nonrational and cognitive vs. emotional forces involved, and she investigates why herding only sometimes works out well. With new perspectives on followers, leaders, and the pros and cons of herd behavior, Baddeley shines vivid light on human behavior in the context of our ever-more-connected world.
Reviews / Votes
"An admirable literature survey, well researched, accessible and comprehensive. . ."-Helga Drummond, THES"Baddeley is a truly exceptional scholar, with terrific writing skills and real originality . . . this might well become the defining book, for this decade and more, on the topic of herding and social influence."-Cass Sunstein, co-author of Nudge
"A tremendous read: we badly need to understand the psychological undercurrents of society more thoroughly, and Copycats & Contrarians is vital reading."-Julia Hobsbawm, author of Fully Connected
"Why do we herd? From the financial crisis to Beatlemania, death cults to the rise of populism, Michelle Baddeley brings her rare academic expertise to bear in this richly researched, timely and highly readable book."-Eric Kaufmann, author of Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?
"Copycats and contrarians make for powerful economic and social forces across the world today, in ways which affect us all. Michelle Baddeley's dissection of these forces is a rare thing: breadth, depth, and though-provoking throughout."-Jonathan Aldred, author of The Skeptical Economist
"A wide-ranging cross-disciplinary perspective of why we run with-or avoid-the crowd, and why it matters, from choosing a restaurant in a tourist trap to believing fake news. I learned a lot, and you may too."-Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
8 b-w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
562 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-22022-3 (9780300220223)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2018
1st Edition
De Gruyter
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Michelle Baddeley is a research professor at the Institute for Choice, University of South Australia. This will be her fifth book.