WHY WE UNDERUSE SUBTRACTION
AND HOW TO ACCESS ITS UNTAPPED POTENTIAL.
We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings.” We create incentives for good behavior, but don’t get rid of obstacles to it. We collect new-and-improved ideas, but don’t prune the outdated ones. Every day, across challenges big and small, we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract. Klotz’s pioneering research shows us what is true whether we’re building Lego models, cities, grilled-cheese sandwiches, or strategic plans: Our minds tend to add before taking away, and this is holding us back.
But we have a choice―our blind spot need not go on taking its toll. Blending behavioral science and design, Subtract arms us with the science of less and empowers us to revolutionize our day-to-day lives and shift how we move through the world. More or less.
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Buy now:
“You need to read this book.”
Adam Grant#1 New York Times bestselling author
“One of the biggest blind spots we have.”
Shankar VedantamHost of Hidden Brain
“A great book changes the world you live in, revealing mysteries you didn’t even know were there. This is a great book.”
Sendhil MullainathanMacArthur fellow and author of Scarcity
“The best book I read this year.”
Bob SuttonNew York Times bestselling author of The No Asshole Rule
“Subtract is simply brilliant. With engaging and moving prose, Leidy Klotz travels back and forth between kids’ toys, evolution, Dr. Seuss, anthropology, racism, cognitive psychology, urban planning, global warming, and architecture to teach us that often, the best way to solve problems is by taking things away―by subtracting. To learn how to subtract, you must first add Subtract to your reading list.”
Barry SchwartzAuthor of The Paradox of Choice and Why We Work
“Leidy Klotz leads the reader on an intellectual journey as he explores the fascinating question: In designing our world, why do we always seem to add rather than subtract? Subtract is a great blend of academic research, stories, and practical tools. Enjoy the journey!”
Dan Heath co-author of Made to Stick and author of Upstream
“Behavioral science at its best helps people to improve their lives. It may help them think about old things in new ways or add new and better habits. In Subtract, Leidy Klotz shows us how deleting things from our lives can lead us to exciting new places.”
Carol Dweckauthor of Mindset
“There could be no more important time to read this well-researched book, when so much needs subtracting: the prejudices, norms, and rules that perpetuate structural racism in our country; the mindless consumption that puts us on the hedonic treadmill and destroys biodiversity and a livable climate on our planet.”
Elke WeberGerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Princeton University
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