Social Butterflies: Reclaiming the Positive Power of Social Networks

'Engaging, fact-filled and profoundly illuminating. It's inspiring to read - and it should help make the world a lot better.' Cass Sunstein, bestselling author of Nudge We're all social animals. From early civilizations to the present day, we exist in an increasingly tangled web of social threads that we rely on for our survival. But in the modern, hyperconnected world, our opinions and beliefs have taken on a new power. Now our basic human need to belong increasingly overrides our better judgement, and our natural instinct to align ourselves with `people like us' has exposed us to manipulation by everyone from tech firms to aspiring politicians. But this is just part of the story of social influence. At a time when our trust in each other is being destroyed on a global scale, it's never been more important to understand the motivations behind our natural instincts and use our predictable behaviours to drive positive change. Rather than seeing human nature as weaknesses to be overcome, it's time to employ it as reliable asset to achieve our most important goals. Building on the incredible findings of their own cutting-edge research, as well as illuminating case studies from experts around the world, Sanders and Hume show how small changes in our environments can have a huge impact on where our instincts lead us, from helping us to run more cohesive and effective organizations, to building important relationships that make us, and those around us, happier and healthier.