The Mind Gym: Relationships
£2.70
Whether it’s the boss, clients, friends or lovers, getting relationships right matters. This book shows how to make yours shine. Drawing on the latest research and the experience of 500,000 people who use The Mind Gym, Relationships reveals how to: be loved, respected and even obeyed; build trust in moments that lasts for years; turn an angry argument into an unbreakable bond; get on with people who don’t get on with anyone else; and repair a broken relationship so it’s stronger than ever.
You don’t even need to read this book. Fill in the questionnaire at the beginning and discover which chapters will help you and which to skip. Even better, you get free membership for The Mind Gym Online. And all royalties will go to The Mind Gym Foundation, a programme to help young people improve their lives by thinking differently.
If you can find a gym that does more for less, we’ll come with you.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Sphere (8 Jan. 2009) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 304 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1847440630 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1847440631 |
| Dimensions | 13.7 x 2.3 x 21.6 cm |
by Esk
I do love the mind gym but this one didn’t quite do it for me. A lot of good ideas designed for very specific situations which makes them great if they apply to you but rather irrelevant otherwise.
by E. Ansell
Helped me end and escape a tough relationship! It helped me plan what I was going to say and how. Wonderful resource
by Lushii
‘The Mind Gym: Relationships’ book is my second purchase from the Mind Gym series.
In true style to the Mind Gym concept overall, the book is full of entertaining and interesting content, summarising various scientific behavioural and/or social psychology studies in a very accessible language and offering plenty of excercises and practical tips on each section/topic discussed. There are also self-assessment tests you can do to identify what areas of relationships/topics you might want to focus more on.
I’ve only tried part of the practical exercises in the book, and think they’re usually quite good fun. Some have been quite a reality-check, in terms of showing just how tricky it can be to maintain motivation and to stick to doing them (which in turn I suppose is a helpful insight as it gives you a more realistic idea of just how tough behaviour and thought change can be, if you don’t maintain the time and effort to implement tbem!)
I’d say this book could probably best be described as falling into the ‘self-improvement’ or ‘increased self-awareness’ category. If you fancy reading something that’s interesting, easily accessible and practically targeted with regards to human behaviour and how we relate to one another, this book is recommended.
by Paul B
There are alot of so called ‘self help’ and ‘become a better manager’ books on the market but this book stands head and shoulders above them. This is a distillation of communication and relationship theories put into practical situational analysis. Great for dipping in and out as the need or time allows. I find it a very useful prompt for impending meetings, a reminder of my MBA studies condensed into one small manageable read. Excellent.
by Jonathan Brown
I am a big fan of first two best sellers from the Mind Gym. Both are useful and, as a consultant, I have successfully recommended them to clients who needed quick, practical advice. Their insights and advice have helped me and my clients deal with plenty of challenges, from making more time for myself at home, to being more influential at work. Based on that, I have been recommending this book for the last 3 months. I have never done this with a book I hadn’t read before but I am glad I did as this book is just as useful and entertaining as its predecessors. In fact, I think it’s their best yet.
It’s full of fascinating insights from positive psychology (the useful side of psychological research) and offers practical tips, tools and techniques to help someone improve just about any relationship. This book is a must have.
The breadth of content covered is astounding and their advice is just as relevant for relationships at work as those at home. There are tips for rebuilding broken bonds, dealing with office politics and overcoming shyness, techniques for turning arguments around and building trust, and even a chapter on how to be charming. Pretty much whatever your problem, this book has answers that can help you make progress.
I particularly liked the chapters on dealing with tricky people and breaking patterns of conflict [something I have seen a marked increase of since the start of the recession. In my working life I’ve encountered my fair share of tricky people, but was often a little lost when it came to tackling the worst offenders.
Here, the Mindgym show their trademark blend of terrific scientific insight and colourful writing style to give you clearly identifiable characters such as “Betty the Control Freak” and “Oscar the Charmer”. You get a clear description that allows you to spot your colleagues (and if you have your eyes open, even yourself!), accompanied by practical ways to deal with them. There were a number of genuine `Aha moments’ for me. This has helped me handle challenging situations better and also avoid more of them completely.
The chapter on conflict handling was also excellent. It explains the different modes that we adopt during conflict, such as avoidant, competing and accommodating and how to switch modes so that you can reach a resolution. This could save you countless hours in fruitless deadlock with colleagues and even family members.
What impresses me most about this book is the stunning amount of psychological research that supports its easily applicable suggestions and insights. Rigorous academic research transformed into entertaining advice is something I have come to expect from The Mind Gym, and this book doesn’t disappoint.
I would heartily recommend this to anybody. You’ll use it time and again- at work and at home. Stunning stuff.
by Simon Wilshire
Too many times these types of books are simply a re-hash of “How to win friends and influence people”. But here Octavius Black has really changed the approach and the game!!
This is a book of understanding and commonsense at a level we forget to think!
If you’re serious about any level of interaction in life or the workplace – this book must be on your shelf.
by M. Phelps
I wish I could be more upbeat, but I was disappointed. The authors overuse storytelling to make their points. And the stories they tell are old, older, and oldest. For example, why would I want to hear about events from the ‘bad old days’ that I only vaguely recollect? Col. Olivier North, Bob Dylan, Sex in the City, really?!? Nope, this one is dated and should be put to rest. RIP
by Shaz
I found this hard going as it didn’t stimulate my concentration