Honest Signals: How They Shape Our World (Bradford Books) | 
| Author: Alex (sandy) Pentland
Publisher: The MIT Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 10586
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0262162563
Dewey Decimal Number: 302.12
EAN: 9780262162562
Publication Date: October 31, 2008
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
How can you know when someone is bluffing? Paying attention? Genuinely interested? The answer, writes Sandy Pentland in Honest Signals, is that subtle patterns in how we interact with other people reveal our attitudes toward them. These unconscious social signals are not just a back channel or a complement to our conscious language; they form a separate communication network. Biologically based "honest signaling," evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms, offers an unmatched window into our intentions, goals, and values. If we understand this ancient channel of communication, Pentland claims, we can accurately predict the outcomes of situations ranging from job interviews to first dates.
Pentland, an MIT professor, has used a specially designed digital sensor worn like an ID badge?a "sociometer"?to monitor and analyze the back-and-forth patterns of signaling among groups of people. He and his researchers found that this second channel of communication, revolving not around words but around social relations, profoundly influences major decisions in our lives?even though we are largely unaware of it. Pentland presents the scientific background necessary for understanding this form of communication, applies it to examples of group behavior in real organizations, and shows how by "reading" our social networks we can become more successful at pitching an idea, getting a job, or closing a deal. Using this "network intelligence" theory of social signaling, Pentland describes how we can harness the intelligence of our social network to become better managers, workers, and communicators.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Abstract signals November 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had seen good reviews of this book and was expecting something better. It struck me as being too abstract. It might have been better to merge the main text with the annexes so that more concrete connections could have been made - and some more details of the concrete examples would also have helped.
 A quantification solution for management practitioners October 31, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Dr. Pentland's research and the use of "sociometer" will offer a way to perform a quantitative analysis on data that till now was purely a "black art". For example, market researchers can use a sociometer to add a dimension of validity to answers given by interviewees. The potential of new applications using the sociometer can be a ground breaking tool for management consultants, trainers and auditors.
Beyond "Pop Science" September 11, 2008
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
This book goes through the most recent (about last 5 years) research of Prof. Pentland's group in the MIT Media Lab. It's a quick but extremely engaging read, and in contrast to other pop science books like Freakanomics and Predictably Irrational (both of which are interesting reads), Honest Signals has the scientific details of the experiments that it talks about, in the form of a thorough 50-page appendix. For anyone interested in how sensing technology will change business and the sciences or who's interested in learning how people actually interact with each other, this is a must read.
sharpening stones, walking on coals September 10, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
Business management has been ruled by mysticism and superstition for a long time. That ends now. Take a breathless ride with 'Sandy' on a whirlwind tour of the future of social engineering. He introduces new tools and methods that are bringing the stunning power of data-rich, observational science to bear on the heart of human endeavor: the search for influence, money, and a mate. The nerds have finally broken the code... and humanity may never be the same again.
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