I read a great book a few weeks ago called Sway. It’s a book about why people behave in certain ways. Actually, the tag line of the book is The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. If, like me, you are someone who loves watching people and loves trying to figure out why people do the things they do, then you’ll love this book.
The authors (a couple of brothers) bring a great blend of case studies to illustrate the key principles that cause people to behave irrationally.
I thought of the book today as I was cruising down the Queensway (the main highway that runs across Ottawa). I was minding my own business, enjoying the sound of my own pipes, feeling the breeze on my face, when suddenly a car cut in front of me then hit it’s brakes. I had to jump to attention and quickly swerve into the next lane in order to avoid running into the back of this big car.
Suddenly my enjoyable ride was no longer … enjoyable. I was mad, I wanted to let the driver of the car know I was mad. As soon, I pulled up beside the vehicle ready to yell, when I saw a little, old lady who was probably 150 years of age. Not that it mattered, it just meant I would have to yell a little louder.
And then, I thought of that stupid book. What was rational about my behaviour. At best, I would frighten her and she’d have a heart attack. At worse, she would veer into my lane after said heart attack, and we all know that when car hits bike, car wins. She had no idea she had cut me off, and nothing I would scream toward her rolled up window would be informative enough to make her aware of the mistake she had just made.
Irrational behaviour.
On second thought, don’t read the book. In my case, it just showed me how stupid I can be at times.
