Decode the Crowd: A 7-Day Guide to Group Psychology

This is our foundational textbook. It's a comprehensive and highly readable introduction to the key concepts of social psychology, from conformity to persuasion to prejudice. It's the essential starting point for understanding how the social situation shapes us.

After getting the big picture from The Social Animal, this book zooms in on a key dynamic: influence. It reveals the six psychological principles that make groups and individuals comply. It’s the mechanism behind much of what we learned yesterday.

Now that you understand how influence works, this book explains what we are being influenced about. It's a deep dive into the moral foundations that bind groups together and blind them to other points of view. It’s the key to understanding tribalism.

With an understanding of group morality from yesterday, this book explores how ideas and behaviors spread through those groups. It's a fascinating look at the 'social epidemics' that create trends, fads, and movements.

Building on how ideas spread through groups, Outliers looks at how groups shape individuals. It makes a powerful case that extraordinary success is often a product of culture, community, and hidden advantages. A crucial look at the power of social context.

After seeing how culture shapes success in Outliers, this book gives you the 'how-to' guide. It deconstructs the specific behaviors that create highly effective and cohesive group cultures. It’s the practical application of everything we've learned about good group dynamics.

For our finale, a hopeful twist. After a week exploring the often-irrational nature of groups, this book makes a powerful, evidence-based case that our fundamental group instinct is for cooperation and kindness. A necessary and optimistic capstone.