Top 20 Psychology Books Everyone Should Read

August 27, 2022

All of the information we need to know how our brains really work has been given to us by the best authors and minds in the field of psychology. All of the best research about habits, thoughts, and decisions has been written down for us to read. We can learn so much useful information if we really understand how our brains work. To be successful in life, you need to develop good habits, think smartly, and be able to make quick, smart choices. But you shouldn’t even try to do this if you don’t understand the science behind it.

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Top 20 Psychology Books for 2022

1. Thinking Fast & Slow by Daniel Kahneman

The first book on the list is Thinking Fast and Slow, which has gotten a lot of attention since it came out in 2011. Kahneman gives a detailed explanation of the two systems that determine how we think and act. One of these systems works quickly, while the other works slowly. The information in this book will really help you figure out how you think. Also, you can use this information to your advantage when you’re trying to make your life better and form good habits.

2. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Almost everything we do every day is because of a habit. If you want to live a successful and fulfilling life, changing your habits should be a top priority. The Power of Habit, written by Charles Duhigg, goes into great depth about the science behind habits and why they exist. Duhigg also tells you how to change your habits for the better. If you want to learn more about habits and how to use them to your advantage, you can’t afford to leave this book off your list.

3. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

In his book, Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely challenges the idea that we always act in a very logical way. Ariely says that all the decisions we make are systematic and predictable. This means that some of the things people do that don’t seem to make sense don’t make sense at all.

4. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini

Influence is a treasure trove of information that everyone should read. If you own a business, work in sales, or want to get to the top of the ladder, you know how important it is to be convincing. Cialdini explains exactly what makes people say “Yes” and how you can use this knowledge in your own life. Every type of persuasion is based on six rules, and this book teaches them all.

5. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book about how we all think without really thinking about it. In other words, the book shows how our brains often make snap decisions without giving them much thought. Gladwell says that these quick decisions aren’t as easy as they seem, and in his book Blink, he gives real-life examples of people who can draw strong conclusions from what they see in a split second. This is a great book to read if you want to learn how to make better decisions and find out more about the science behind them.

6. Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

The Heaths wrote this amazing book about how our brain’s two different systems fight with each other. The emotional mind and the rational mind are these systems, and they are always at odds with each other in everything we do. This is what makes the difference between good decisions that change your life and bad decisions that hurt you. Switch explains everything, and it is one of the best books on psychology to read this year.

7. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

Stumbling on Happiness takes a slightly different approach to psychology. In this book, you’ll learn some amazing things about how humans can predict the future and whether or not we can predict with certainty whether or not we’ll like it when we get there. Daniel Gilbert’s masterpiece is mostly about three things: imagination, illusion, and misunderstanding.

8. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ by Daniel Goleman

I sometimes think that people put too much weight on IQ and not enough on EQ. Emotional intelligence is just as important as IQ when it comes to living a happy and successful life. Not just in terms of your relationships, but also in terms of your career and your own physical and mental health. In his book, Goleman gives a lot more information about emotional intelligence. It would be smart to add this to your list of books to read.

9. The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Heidt

Jonathan Haidt, an award-winning psychologist, looks at the world’s philosophical wisdom through the lens of psychological science in his widely praised book. Haidt shows how a deeper understanding of sayings that have stood the test of time; The sayings “Do to others as you would have them do to you” and “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” can make our lives better and even change them.

10. The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barny Schwartz

Almost everyone who reads this article will understand the idea behind “The Paradox of Choice.”Every day decisions are much harder to make in the world we live in now. Because of this, we’ve started taking a lot more time to decide what to do. We’re throwing away time. This book looks at the science behind the choice and explains why having more options is not always a good thing. A definite read!

11. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

This is Dale Carnegie’s classic masterpiece, which almost everyone interested in self-improvement has heard of. If you haven’t heard of this book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a guide on how to deal with people, make them like you, get them to agree with you, and win them over.

12. Evolutionary Psychology: The Science of the Mind by David Buss

Through the lens of modern evolutionary psychology, this book looks at how people think and act.” Evolutionary Psychology” gives people the ideas of evolutionary psychology and shows how they can be used to study the human mind in the real world. Tai Lopez also said that this was one of the three best books to read.

13. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

In “The Selfish Gene,” Professor Dawkins talks about evolution from the point of view of a gene. This imaginative, powerful, and stylistically brilliant work not only spread the ideas of Neo-Darwinism to a wide audience but also sparked a lot of debate in the biology community and opened up whole new areas of research. Even though it came out 40 years ago, its ideas are still as important today as they were when it was first published.

14. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister & John Tierney

This book was written by Baumeister and Tierney to help people get their willpower back.

“Willpower” teaches you how to set goals, track your progress toward those goals, and keep your faith when things look bad. It also helps you stay focused and resist temptation. If you read this and a few of the other books listed above, you won’t be stopped.

15. Unlimited Memory by Kevin Horsley

In 2013, Kevin Horsley broke a world memory record, and he wrote “Unlimited Memory” to teach you what he learned. Yes, it is just like it sounds… This book will show you how to improve your memory in a big way, which will help you be more productive, reliable, and successful in everything you do. And since the guy broke a world record doing what he preaches, I’d probably do what he says!

16. Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Peter D. Kaufman

Just so you know, this book is a beast to read! It’s a long book to read, but well worth the time. The editor of Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Kaufman, put together the ideas of Charles T. Munger and Warren Buffett. The book gives lessons and stories about investing and business, but it also talks a lot about how to make decisions and think better. Even though some of it is about business, it is still one of the best psychology books to read.

17. Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz

One of our guest writers at Wealthy Gorilla just wrote an article that went into more depth about Psycho-Cybernetics. If you’re interested in this book, you should read it.

Psycho-Cybernetics is based on the idea that before we can start to reach all of our goals, we must first form an idea of what we want to happen. With this philosophy, you can start to do well in many areas of your life. The information here will show you how.

18. What Every BODY is Saying by Joe Navarro

Joe Navarro’s book is different from the others on this list because it is about the human body and how you can start to speed-read people. The book talks about some very interesting things that people do with their bodies that you should be able to use to your advantage in real life. A lot of what this book tells you will probably come as a big surprise to you. So if you want to learn how to read people quickly, I’d say you should definitely pick up a copy.

19. The First 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman

The First 20 Hours give you everything you need to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less. We’ve always known from research that it takes 10,000 hours to master any skill. This book won’t magically get you there in 20 minutes, but it will help you learn the basics of any skill in that amount of time. Kaufman does a great job of breaking it down into simple steps that can be used in any situation. Why don’t you already have this book?

20. Nudge by Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

“Nudge” is the last book on the list of the best psychology books to read in 2017. Nudge is a very simple book about making decisions and choices.

By taking the advice in the book to heart, you can learn to make better choices for your health, wealth, and happiness. Get this book to round out your collection of books that will help you reach new heights in your life.