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Did You Spot the Gorilla?: How to Recognise the Hidden Opportunities in Your Life | 
 enlarge | Author: Richard Wiseman
Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £3.59
You Save: £4.40 (55%)
New (8) Used (3) from £3.04
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 2241
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0099466430
EAN: 9780099466437
ASIN: 0099466430
Publication Date: August 5, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
Inspiring reading December 31, 2008
This is a fanastic book and I only wish that it had been a little longer. Even still, it makes it's point well and is very easy and enjoyable to read. I read it in a single sitting. Once I started I couldn't really put it down. I read "Quirkology" about 6 months ago and was very taken with the style and content of the book. This book is written in the same compelling style. The examples and the exercises really bring the text to life.
The book covers the pyschology of missing the obvious - something that we all do - and how to compensate for the "tricks" that our brains can often play on us. The one thing that I will take away from this book is that creative ideas are more forthcoming to less stressed minds. It is far too easy to put yourself under pressure to come up with good ideas - when the ideas don't come, the pressure increases and it becomes a vicious cycle. There are some good ideas in this book for breaking the cycle.
Originally, I was intereseted in this book in relation to innovation, but I suspect that many readers will find it applicable to a much wider range of situations. Highly recommended.
 funny and interesting September 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is quite an amusing little book, and there are several interactive exercises which you will inevitably end up trying out on anybody sat int he same room as you read.
Some of the ideas are pretty straight fowards, but others are quite intersting, and things I had not really thought about before.
I am certainly trying to look out for more gorillas now I have read it. Be warned though, if you read this on the bus you may get some funny looks when you try out some of the excercises or start suddenly laughing!
Another fantastic Richard Wiseman book July 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read "Quirkology" by Richard Wiseman and liked it so much I thought I would read another of his books. I decided on "Did you spot he Gorilla" and I found myself engrossed in it as I was with "Quirkology".
This book is fairly concise but it is to-the-point and a fascinating read. I will be reading more from Richard Wiseman in the future.
Lighthearted, fun and very informative October 6, 2005
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
The narrative style of the book is excellent, with it's easily readable format that keeps you interested as you go, I read the book in two sittings. The way the author will have you kicking yourself throughout the book will certainly make you smile. On more than one occasion I believed I understood what I was supposed to miss, read on thinking 'ok I get that' only to flick back after a few pages of further explanation to see I had royally missed the gorilla! Fun, powerful and most importantly - practical and applicable, one of the best in this genre I've read this year.
Gorilla hunting for beginners May 20, 2005
27 out of 28 found this review helpful
Here is a title to make you stop and think. Based on an experiment where viewers of a video clip are asked to count the number of passes a three-a-side basketball team make, an astonishing 80% fail to see the gorilla-costumed intruder. This can be because we are too focussed - we don't see what we are not looking for. A 'gorilla' is something so blindingly obvious that we fail to see it.The book is deliberately aimed at the 55-minute audience, those short-haul train or plane travellers, and is expensive on a cost-per-page basis. However, the cost has to be offset against the value it gives to the professional and personal lives of readers. Make no mistake, there is a huge carry-over in applying lessons to business life and home - change your outlook in one and it will almost certainly affect the other. The volume may be used as a corporate hand-out, and it uses psychological tricks and ploys, with anecdotes of where a 'gorilla' has been found. Many readers could add their own examples, and that can work well in a group context. A chatty style is not prescriptive, and there are 4 clear lessons to encourage gorilla spotting. One thing that I did find irritating was being asked to write answers in the book. Needless to say I did not do this - it ruins the volume for ever, and means that the pages cannot be revisited in the future. At any rate, not without purchasing an additional copy. The cynic may think that this is to encourage further sales. Richard Wiseman has written a little gem that should make you stop and think. Perhaps the biggest key to spotting 'gorillas' is to be aware that there are some out there. Go out and look for some. It could change your life. Peter Morgan, Bath, UK (morganp@supanet.com)
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