Jamie Holmes

I often think that the unknown is the scariest thing for us to confront as human beings. After all, what is the common cornerstone of most thriller and suspense films? When we don't know who the culprit is, when they're going to strike, what is going to happen, etc. we don't know what to do. We often fill in the blanks ourselves, many times choosing the worst case scenario, and cause ourselves more panic and worry. And those films capitalize on that.

But beyond films designed to put us on edge, ambiguity and uncertainty crop up all the time in our lives. And not knowing usually makes us uncomfortable. There is almost a sense of not being in full control when we don't have all the details or when something happens to show us that our understanding of something is incomplete or incorrect. And these moments can paralyze us, cause us to act irrationally, or become an opportunity to expand our horizons and see things in a different way.

In Nonsense: The Power of Not Knowing, Jamie Holmes explores the concepts of ambiguity and uncertainty and the ways in which we, as humans, approach them. Drawing from research in psychology and sociology as well as practical examples, the author explains how ambiguity and uncertainty can limit us or serve as an opportunity to find productivity and success. It's an insightful and eye-opening read that certainly convinced me that, as the Mr. Holmes writes at the end of the book's prologue, "[I]n an increasingly complex, unpredictable world, what matters most isn't IQ, willpower, or confidence in what we know. It's how we deal with what we don't understand."

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.]… (meer)

This pop science book looks at how humans handle ambiguity in life. We are wired to manage the huge amount of information coming at us every day and much of that information is confusing. We don't like to be confused so our minds latch on to the familiar or the expected as the most stable way through all of this information. While this may be a good survival skill, especially in stressful situations it's not always your first instinct that is the best way to go. This book has a lot of examples, from Absolute ads to hostage situations to bilingual education, to back up the theories put forward and puts forward a good argument for using the way we utilize and react to uncertainty in our lives for positive action in business, education and decision making. I received a free ARC of this book through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway's.
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