Bounce

by Syed, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780061723766
• ISBN10: 0061723762
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780061991394
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-03
• Publisher: Perennial
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Why have all the sprinters who have run the 100 meters in under ten seconds been black? What's one thing Mozart, Venus Williams, and Michelangelo have in common? Why are baseball players so superstitious? We love to win and hate to lose, whether it's on the playing field, in the office, or in the classroom. In this bold new look at human behavior, award-winning journalist and Olympian Matthew Syed explores the truth about our competitive nature--why we win, why we don't, and how we really play the game of life. "Bounce" reveals how competition--the most vivid, primal, and dramatic of human pursuits--provides vital insight into many of the most controversial issues of our time. From biology and economics to psychology and culture, from genetics and race to sports and politics, "Bounce" shows how competition provides a master key with which to unlock the mysteries of the world.

Table of Contents

The Talent Myth
The Hidden Logic of Success	p. 3
Miraculous Children?	p. 55
The Path to Excellence	p. 77
Mysterious Sparks and Life-Changing Mind-Sets	p. 113
Paradoxes of the Mind
The Placebo Effect	p. 149
The Curse of Choking and How to Avoid It	p. 181
Baseball Rituals, Pigeons, and Why Great Sportsmen Feel Miserable After Winning	p. 201
Deep Reflections
Optical Illusions and X-Ray Vision	p. 217
Drugs in Sport, Schwarzenegger Mice, and the Future of Mankind	p. 233
Are Blacks Superior Runners?	p. 255
Acknowledgments	p. 287
Notes	p. 289
Index	p. 303
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