Understanding the Influential Mind

It is tempting to say that we live in the “age of influence,” though of course every age is an “age of influence”—ours has just been super-charged by social media. Tali Sharot, the founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab at University College London, set out to understand the neuroscience behind influence. Why do some things move our opinions, while others leave us cold? Her book, “The Influential Mind,” is an exploration of these and other puzzles. She answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook.