We cannot escape dealing with people for as long as we are alive, be it workplace, family, friends,etc. When it comes to dealing with people, most of us follow our feelings and past experiences. That’s alright in some cases. However, sometimes we need to be very careful especially when dealing with influential people with diplomatic brains, people with fragile egos, people with short temper,etc. In such cases, some expert advice or some guidance is necessary. Not only this, but even interacting with people in day to day life requires some basic rules if one wishes to extract something meaningful of leave an influence.

Going through psychology books may be a good idea to accomplish this. But there are hundreds of such books available in the market. Here is a list of selected 06 books on human psychology and behaviour. Have a good read!

1. The Laws Of Human Nature by Robert Greene

Just like every creature, humans have long evolved in the last hundreds of thousands of years. Over the centuries of evolution, we have developed many instinctive qualities that have become a part of our existence. Our brains are programmed for what we call human nature. The author here explains the 18 laws of human nature and tells us why we the humans behave in a certain way. This book helps one in organising his thought patterns, manage emotions , way of conversation, understanding others, responding to external stimulus,etc. in an effective way not only to manage his instincts and emotions but also persuade and influence others and carry out the tasks more smoothly and efficiently. We definitely recommend reading this book.

2. The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy

This books explores the potential and capabilities of our subconscious mind on our lives. It explains that our subconscious mind is influenced by suggestions and how it is filled with negative and limiting suggestions which in turn are a result of our upbringing, societal influence and limiting beliefs. Our subconscious mind is extremely powerful. It can assimilate and manifest any thought that you may suggest. The author explains the concepts through various real life stories how our subconscious mind can drastically transform and improve our lives. Similarly, negative thought patterns and suggestions can also influence your lives in a negative manner. By understanding the factor affecting our subconscious mind, we can adopt various techniques to suggest the subconscious mind and gather the required power for personal,  as well as professional growth.

3. Surrounded By Idiots by Thomas Erikson

Most often in our workplaces as well as general life, we encounter various kinds of people. Some of them are pleasing whereas others frustrate us too much. The author describes four types of personalities, among one or more of which we all are a part of. With real life stories, he explains how to respond and act according to the personality type.

He categorises personalities in terms of four colours and describes the various traits of each colour. He also identifies strengths and weaknesses of these types of people and suggests to act accordingly. After going through the book, you will be able to handle different types of people particularly in your workplace and coordinate with your colleagues and coworkers in an efficient manner.

4. Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Our brains are wired in an extremely intricate manner. We respond differently to the situations according to the systems developed by our brains. As per the author, our brain has developed two systems of thinking – fast or intuitive thinking and slow or logical thinking. Our mind combines both the mechanisms while decision making. In an emergency situation, the fast processing takes place whereas under normal circumstances we deliberately tend to think logically and slowly. The second system utilizes conscious thinking and analysis of complex problems and situations. Understanding these two systems can help us learn self control, avoid impulsive responses and hence improve our decision making ability. The author also talks of the role of cognitive biases in the process of decision making using certain specific examples. The author also explains the human behaviour by explaining various terms like prospect theory, endowment effect, intuitive expertise,etc. After reading this book, you will be able to apply the lessons in decision making, be it professional or personal aspects, improve your thinking process, and be able to respond correctly and hence influence others.

5. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

It must be considered as one of the best books ever written on dealing with people. Whether you’re at your workplace, home , in a party, meeting a client or at the beach enjoying with your friends, the principles talked of by Dale Carnegie in this book can be applicable everywhere. We have to deal with people no matter what our profession might be. And while we interact, we intentionally or unintentionally send subtle messages and responses that my turn them in our favour or against us. The author talks of many such responses which might influence the other person both in positive as well as negative manner. He also mentions many things that one must avoid at any cost. Many a times, we find our friends, colleagues, clients and even well-wishers start avoiding and ignoring us after a conversation or even a friendly discussion. Then we wonder what could be wrong between us when we had never intended to hurt anyone. Sometimes even a heated conversation might turn in our favour and most hated person may turn out to become a good friend. This books talks of many such conversational facts and tactics that one must consciously apply in order to persuade others as well as influence others without hurting and even letting them know. This book is a must read book if one intends to study human psychology.

6. Influence, The Psychology Of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

This book talks of simple yet powerful six principles that one can apply and persuade someone without any force. Our brains process almost any external information in a certain way as per the input data. Each input stimuli has its own way of being processed and so are it’s output responses. Many nice things we may say, but the results might be opposite in some cases, whereas, we may unintentionally convince the other person without much effort but a little conversation. The author talks of the six principles, viz. reciprocity consistency, social proof, liking, authority and scarcity.

The book explains that people often reciprocates what we offer them, be it a smile, a sweet gesture, gifts or an angry face. Also, we are compelled to follow our announced commitments i.e. to be consistent to what we have said. We also look at others when we don’t know how to react at some instances. This is what he calls social proof. In a similar manner, people are more likely to like something that is also liked by someone they like. Further, our brains are wired to obey figures of authority. Moreover, we value things more often when it is in scarcity or when it is in high demand. These principles can be used to manipulate a deal as well as save ourselves from being manipulated. These can be applied to almost any field of life. So if you are into public dealing or even in your day-to-day conversations, mastering the art of persuasion and make things go in your way can make your professional and personal journey much easier. We highly recommended this book should be on your bookshelf.

Good Luck!