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  • Wait

  • The Art and Science of Delay
  • Written by: Frank Partnoy
  • Narrated by: Sean Runnette
  • Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

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Wait

Written by: Frank Partnoy
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Publisher's Summary

A passionate polemic in favor of pausing to think, not blink.

What do these scenarios have in common: a professional tennis player returning a serve, a woman evaluating a first date across the table, a naval officer assessing a threat to his ship, and a comedian about to reveal a punch line?

In this counterintuitive and insightful work, author Frank Partnoy weaves together findings from hundreds of scientific studies and interviews with wide-ranging experts to craft a picture of effective decision making that runs contrary to our brutally fast-paced world. Thought technology is exerting new pressures to speed up our lives, it turns out that the choices we make––unconsciously and consciously, in time frames varying from milliseconds to years—benefit profoundly from delay. Taking control of time and slowing down our responses yields better results in almost every arena of life—even when time seems to be of the essence.

The procrastinator in all of us will delight in Partnoy’s accounts of celebrity “delay specialists,” from Warren Buffett to Chris Evert to Steve Kroft, underscoring the myriad ways in which delaying our reactions to everyday choices—large and small—can improve the quality of our lives.

Frank Partnoy is the George E. Barrett Professor of Law and Finance and is codirector of the Center on Corporate and Securities Law at the University of San Diego. He is one of the world’s leading experts on the complexities of modern finance and financial market regulation. He is also the author of several works of nonfiction.

©2012 Frank Partnoy (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the critics say

“Having mined the best of American research in fields as wide-ranging as finance, behavioral economics, and law, Frank Partnoy has written a beguilingly readable treatise that boils down to a single, easily digestible conclusion: in our busy modern lives, most of us react too quickly. Wait will naturally and rightly be compared to Daniel Kahneman’sThinking, Fast and Slow as a trailblazing book exploring the hidden crannies and the treacherous pitfalls of human decision-making. I wholeheartedly recommend it.”—(Roger Lowenstein,  New York Times bestselling author of  The End of Wall Street and  When Genius Failed)
“Wait is one of those rare books that will change not just the way you think but the way you act. The book is full of ideas that are fascinating, useful—and at times mind-blowing. I was captivated.” (Bethany McLean,  New York Times bestselling coauthor of  The Smartest Guys in the Room)
“Frank Partnoy turns conventional wisdom on its head with this counterintuitive approach to decision-making. Rather than telling us how to make decisions faster and faster, he mines and refines a rich lode of information from experts in a surprising variety of fields to demonstrate the power of delay, whether measured in milliseconds, days, or decades. Wait is a great read, chock-full of fascinating insights.” (Daniel H. Pink,  New York Times bestselling author of  Drive and  A Whole New Mind)

What listeners say about Wait

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Very useful information

Found it very insightful and will re-read it again to see if I can get even more information from it.

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Boring listen

Could be a great read but did not translate well into audio. You may fall asleep at the wheel

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