How many unread emails are there in your inbox? How many hours of sleep did you get last week? How many steps did you walk today? We’re drowning in digits and immersed in integers, and More Numbers Every Day, by internationally renowned economics professors Micael Dahlen and Helge Thorbjørnsen is a timely and powerful investigation — and warning — about the trouble numbers can bring us.

Today we all strive to quantify everything: calories, likes, website traffic, and even friends. And then we rate things, too: movies, restaurants, taxi drivers, experiences, professors, and dates. We measure ourselves against others and compare our real experiences to imagined averages. But in our rush to measure, we can lose sight of what matters. In this delightful and alarming book, Dahlen and Thorbjørnsen show how we’re exposed and infected by an ever-more contagious pandemic of numbers. With groundbreaking, empowering, sometimes frightening, and sometimes funny research, they help us see how numbers creep into our heads and bodies, affecting how we think and feel. When do numbers make us stronger and when do they make us weaker? When do they mislead us? And when do they turn us into narcissistic idiots? Look at the book as your numerical vaccination, for a happier and more numerically healthy life.

Your personal number detox: learn how numbers have taken control of your life—and how to get it back.

How many hours of sleep did you get last week? How many steps did you walk today? How many friends do you have? It seems everywhere you go, you’re surrounded by numbers. You depend on them, so you think they’re dependable, neutral, exact. But the truth? Numbers lie. They mislead. They’re tricky, little manipulative devils. And they’re in the process of really messing things up for you. You just don’t know it yet.
 
Today we all strive to quantify everything: calories, likes, website traffic, and even friends. We measure ourselves against others and compare our real experiences to imagined averages. But in our rush to measure, we can lose sight of what matters. From internationally renowned economics professors Micael Dahlen and Helge Thorbjørnsen, More Numbers Every Day is a timely and powerful investigation—and warning—about the trouble numbers can bring us.

With groundbreaking, empowering, sometimes frightening, and sometimes funny research, they describe how numbers creep into our heads and bodies, affecting how we think and feel. But numbers aren’t all bad. Sometimes they make us weaker, but sometimes they also make us stronger. More Numbers Every Day is more than just an exploration in to the somewhat mysterious, seemingly infinite pandemic of numbers. It’s a numerical vaccination—for a happier and more integrally healthy life.
 
Contributor Bio(s)
 
 
Micael Dahlen is a professor at the Stockholm School of Economics. His research focuses on economics, happiness and welfare. He has written books on topics ranging from happiness and the meaning of life, to evil, tech, and human behaviors. Professor Dahlen is an internationally acclaimed speaker, a podcast host, and a self-proclaimed Asktronaut. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden.

Helge Thorbjørnsen is a Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics. He is curious about human behavior and decision-making, especially when technology is involved. His research and teaching span from happiness and well-being to behavioral economics, innovation and advertising. He lives in Bergen, Norway.