The Reading Warehouse

Surprise: Embrace the Unpredictable and Engineer the Unexpected is a fascinating look at how we can handle and harness surprise in our work, relationships, and everyday lives.

Pop quiz: Do you prefer when things go according to plan or when the unexpected happens?

Most of us pick control and predictability. Yet research reveals a counterintuitive truth: our best memories are the surprising ones. We feel most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel most alive when they're not. Surprise is also the little-known key to growth, attention, and connection. In Surprise, the authors present an unusual new perspective: by understanding the science of surprise, we can transform our work, relationships, and everyday life from ordinary to extraordinary.

Through colorful narratives and fascinating scientific findings, the authors shine a light on the world's least understood and most intriguing emotion. They reveal how shifting our perception of surprise lets us thrive in the face of uncertainty. And they show us how surprise acts as a shortcut that turns a typical product into a meaningful experience, a good idea into a viral one, awkward small talk into engaging conversation, and everyday life into an adventure.

LeeAnn Renninger, PhD, is the CEO and founder of LifeLabs New York. She received her PhD in social psychology from the University of Vienna, where she studied the differences between good and great communicators. At LifeLabs New York she helps managers around the globe catalyze better (and more surprising) thinking in themselves and others.

Tania Luna leads the culture department at LifeLabs NewYork. She is the cofounder of Surprise Industries. She also writes for Psychology Today and conducts research at Hunter College.