This Is Your Brain on Sports
The Science of Underdogs, the Value of Rivalry, and What We Can Learn from the T-Shirt Cannon
By L. Jon Wertheim, Sam Sommers | Publisher: Crown
About the book
This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us—on the field and in the stands—and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives.
In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature.
In short, this book is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.
— Boston Globe, Best Books of 2016, Sports
Editions of This Is Your Brain on Sports
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780553447408
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780553447422
- EBook
- ISBN 9780553447415
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780399566936
- AudioStreaming
- ISBN 9780399566943
Read an Excerpt
This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us—on the field and in the stands—and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives.
In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature.
In short, this book is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.
— Boston Globe, Best Books of 2016, Sports
Frequently Asked Questions
What is This Is Your Brain on Sports about?
This is Your Brain on Sports is the book for sports fans searching for a deeper understanding of the games they watch and the people who play them. Sports Illustrated executive editor and bestselling author L. Jon Wertheim teams up with Tufts psychologist Sam Sommers to take readers on a wild ride into the inner world of sports. Through the prism of behavioral economics, neuroscience, and psychology, they reveal the hidden influences and surprising cues that inspire and derail us—on the field and in the stands—and by extension, in corporate board rooms, office settings, and our daily lives.
In this irresistible narrative romp, Wertheim and Sommers usher us from professional football to the NBA to Grand Slam tennis, from the psychology of athletes self-handicapping their performance in the boxing ring or the World Series, to an explanation of why even the glimpse of a finish line can lift us beyond ordinary physical limits. They explore why Tom Brady and other starting NFL quarterbacks all seem to look like fashion models; why fans of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and any franchise from Cleveland love rooting for a loser; why the best players make the worst coaches; why hockey goons (and fans) would rather fight at home than on the road; and why the arena t-shirt cannon has something to teach us about human nature.
In short, this book is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey into how psychology and behavioral science collide with the universe of wins-and-losses, coaching changes, underdogs, and rivalry games.
— Boston Globe, Best Books of 2016, Sports
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in This Is Your Brain on Sports?
Sports and Active outdoor recreation > Sport: general > Sports training and coaching > Sports psychology
Where can I read a sample of This Is Your Brain on Sports?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780553447408
Who is/are the Author/s of the book This Is Your Brain on Sports?
L. Jon Wertheim, Sam Sommers
Who is the Publisher of the book This Is Your Brain on Sports?
Crown
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
This Is Your Brain on Sports is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780553447408) and paperback(ISBN 9780553447422) and ebook(ISBN 9780553447415) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780399566936) and audiostreaming(ISBN 9780399566943)
Where can I buy This Is Your Brain on Sports online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy This Is Your Brain on Sports from below
Where can I buy This Is Your Brain on Sports?