How We Gain and Lose Influence

The Power Paradox

A revolutionary rethinking of everything we know about power 
 
It shapes every interaction we have, whether we're trying to get a two-year-old to eat green vegetables or ask for a promotion at work. But how do we really gain and maintain power - through coercion or cooperation? What does it do to our behaviour? And what makes us lose power? In twenty revolutionary 'power principles', renowned psychologist Dacher Keltner turns everything we thought we knew about influence and status upside down, redefining power for our times. 
 
'Keltner is the most interesting psychologist in America. It's only a matter of time before his ideas spread everywhere' Michael Lewis 
 
 'Sheds light on human power's dark side, as well as its redeeming qualities. Everyone can learn from this wise book' Susan T. Fiske, author of Social Cognition 
 
'A lively description of how true power is like a return on a social investment in others' Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? 
 
'Lively and intriguing ... A much-needed dose of positivity' Prospect

There cannot be many business school academics with a hotline to Hollywood. But Dacher Keltner has become something of a go-to guy for Tinseltown since advising on Inside Out ... Prof Keltner is in demand for his work on decoding emotions, which has culminated in a book explaining how people gain and lose power, based on the studies of executive behaviour he has undertaken over 20 years

Lively and intriguing ... The Power Paradox delivers a much-needed dose of positivity in the study of how managers and leaders can get the best out of their workers and populations

The Westminster old guard sat all around him may not realise it, but Dacher Keltner and his ideas may pose a severe challenge to their way of doing business. And it gets worse: as he and his cohorts render them obsolete, they will rub it in by being nice to them

Dacher Keltner is the most interesting psychologist in America. He's busy changing the minds of Americans about how power works, how inequality works. It's only a matter of time before his ideas spread everywhere. And unlike most psychologists I know, he's not a weirdo

Michael Lewis, author of 'The Big Short', 'Flash Boys', and 'Boomerang'

The Power Paradox brings clarity to our confusion, brimming with evidence-based insights into powerlessness, the selfish uses of power, and the best kind: power that furthers the greater good. Dacher Keltner's brilliant research gives us a lens that lets us see afresh hidden patterns in society, politics, and our own lives. No doubt this will be one of the most significant science books of the decade

Daniel Goleman, author of 'Emotional Intelligence' and 'A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World'

Keltner shares insights into many aspects of power, including afternoon tea in Britain and how Lincoln won the presidency ... Provocative and intriguing

Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of 'Half the Sky: How to Change the World'

That power is not taken but given is true for most human relations today. It has ancient roots in primate behavior. Dacher Keltner applies a lifetime of research to this topic, offering a lively description of how true power is like a return on a social investment in others

Frans de Waal, author of 'Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?'

With personal insight and the latest science, Keltner is both realistic and idealistic: The Power Paradox sheds light on human power's dark side, as well as its redeeming qualities. Everyone can learn from this wise book

Susan T. Fiske, Professor of Psychology at Princeton and author of 'Social Cognition'

Dacher Keltner's focus on power as doing good for others is a refreshing change from a Machiavellian perspective and helps us to better understand what the - much more fulfilling - target of ambition should be

Kate Pickett, co-author of 'The Spirit Level'

Dacher Keltner

Keltner writes movingly... Awe often defies language, but Keltner is highly attuned to its traces

Keltner's core message, imploring us to smell the coffee and whoa at it, is a welcome one in our overscheduled times

Humanity has a lot of loss to work through. Keltner has written the perfect guidebook for this journey, interweaving discoveries that he and his disciples have made since he pioneered the scientific study of awe 20 years ago with highly personal-and at times excruciatingly tender-meditations on the death of his brother Rolf

A gifted storyteller, Keltner draws on the experiences of individuals across the world to document the salutary impact of everyday, wild and mystical encounters with nature, music, visual art, literature, religion, the birth of children, and the death of loved ones

Awe is awesome in both senses: a superb analysis of an emotion that is strongly felt but poorly understood, with a showcase of examples that remind us of what is worthy of our awe

I recommend [Awe] to everyone. Its ideas organized a lot of my experiences, observations, thoughts, and hopes in a powerful new way

It is rare for a book to dive into a single emotion to analyze it from every possible angle. Dacher Keltner's expertise makes it a fascinating and stimulating journey to recognize awe as a mysterious force in our lives

An engaging and insightful exploration of the ordinary magic that connects us to the world, to each other, and to the meanings of our lives. The 'science of wow' has finally arrived

Your goosebumps when you listen to Beethoven; your wonder as you behold the Grand Canyon; your amazement at the sheer perfection of a baby's tiny foot. You've probably sensed that such moments of awe are some of the most profound experiences ever to happen to you. But if you've ever wondered where these moments come from, what they mean, and how to experience them more often: there is no better guide than Dacher Keltner, the great and wise Berkeley psychologist. Read this book to connect with your highest self

We need more awe in our lives, and Dacher Keltner has written the definitive book on where to find it. As a preeminent expert on the science of awe, he does a masterful job demystifying this powerful emotion and unpacking how it both elevates us and grounds us

Through powerful and compelling stories of transformation and passion, Keltner expertly introduces us to feel the mighty emotion of AWE-something we all need more of in our lives

This extraordinary book explores the power of awe and amazement in our lives and in the life of this world. It reveals the gift of awe from the perspectives of science, the self, and society. Written with passion and clarity, it is a book that itself nourishes awe and turns us toward our lives with fresh eyes and an open heart

Our troubling times, our clickbait media, even our own habits of mind, blanket our consciousness with the negative and threatening in life. This book is a counter force. Powerful, erudite, rooted in brilliant research, but always fascinatingly accessible, it uplifts the wonderful in life. From the beauty of movement in sports to the moral courage of a friend, it's a guide to how to see and experience the wonder that is always all around us. It balances consciousness. It has been a long time since I've read anything as inspiring. I'd say race to read it. You won't be disappointed

Dacher Keltner has written a deeply personal, scientifically brilliant treatise on an emotion he convinces us we need to experience more often in our daily lives

A researcher who has taught us new ways to think about generosity and cooperation has turned his attention to one of the most understudied emotions of all, awe.  Eye-opening and mind expanding

The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder

Social psychologist Dacher Keltner has spent his career speaking to different groups of people, from schoolchildren to prisoners to healthcare workers, about the good life. These conversations and his pioneering research into the science of emotion have convinced him that happiness comes down to one thing: finding awe. 
 
Awe allows us to collaborate with others, open our minds to wonder, and see the deep patterns of life. In his new book, Keltner presents a radical investigation into this elusive emotion. Drawing on his own scientific research into how awe transforms our brains and bodies, alongside an examination of awe across history, culture and within his own life during a period of immense grief, Keltner shows us how cultivating wonder leads us to appreciate what is most humane in our human nature. The book includes intensely moving, deeply personal stories of awe from people all over the world - doctors and veterans, environmentalists and filmmakers, indigenous scholars and hospice workers, ministers and midwives, poets and prisoners. 
 
At turns radical and profound, Awe is our field guide for how to uncover everyday wonder as a vital force within our lives.

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Dacher Keltner

Praise for Awe

Fascinating and enjoyable

Keltner writes movingly... Awe often defies language, but Keltner is highly attuned to its traces

Keltner's core message, imploring us to smell the coffee and whoa at it, is a welcome one in our overscheduled times

Fascinating and enjoyable

Keltner writes movingly... Awe often defies language, but Keltner is highly attuned to its traces

Keltner's core message, imploring us to smell the coffee and whoa at it, is a welcome one in our overscheduled times

Fascinating and enjoyable

Keltner writes movingly... Awe often defies language, but Keltner is highly attuned to its traces

Keltner's core message, imploring us to smell the coffee and whoa at it, is a welcome one in our overscheduled times

Books by Dacher Keltner

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