Numbers and Nerves: Information, Emotion, and Meaning in a World of Data

by Scott Slovic

Excellent Book

Genres: Psychology, Science

Paperback

First published October 15, 2015

Reviews

[Anne Martens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays on how to effectively communicate for causes in a way that elicits emotion. Many of the essays talk about psychic numbing, and give concrete examples of how too many numbers makes people tune out. Other essays discuss strategies for putting big numbers in context, other than the standard personal story tactic since we all know that one. The editors, the Slovic brothers, are painfully boring (despite writing a book on effective communication) so don't feel bad about skipping their sections--their sections almost made me give up on the book, but I'm glad I stuck it out.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essays by the likes of Annie Dillard, Rick Bass, Paul Farmer, Nicholas Kristof, Terry Tempest Williams. Sometimes a bit dense, but helps us come to terms with apathy in the face of too much information. We are creatures of compassion and feeling, but also analysis and measurement. How do they blend together? How do we remain sensitive to overwhelming statistics?

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slovic and Slovic crystallize the need for greater numeracy in order for society to address problems of public import -- not just through their selection of essays, but in their poignant framing of the disconnect between numbers and emotion and the role multimodal storytelling can play in helping bridge that divide.

A must-read for anyone interested in the use of quantitative evidence to understand and communicate complex issues in an approachable format.

[Tarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an important book- but I think I was expecting to tell me more that I already didn't know... which is to say the information here isn't particularly new, it it's nice to have it in one place, and it was important to spend more time reflecting on it. I'd certainly recommend it, particularly for those in the business of trying to move people to action.