In this book, one of our most innovative, popular thinkers, Steven Johnson, takes on one of life's key questions: where do good ideas come from?

From the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got To Now and Farsighted Forget everything you’ve ever read about the age of dumbed-down, instant-gratification culture. In this provocative, unfailingly intelligent, thoroughly researched, and surprisingly convincing big idea book, Steven Johnson draws from fields as diverse as neuroscience, economics, and media theory to argue that the pop culture we soak in every day—from Lord of the Rings to Grand Theft Auto to The Simpsons—has been growing more sophisticated with each passing year, and, far from rotting our brains, is actually posing new cognitive challenges that are actually making our minds measurably sharper. After reading Everything Bad is Good for You, you will never regard the glow of the video game or television screen the same way again. With a new afterword by the author.

“Offers a useful reminder of the role of modern science in fundamentally transforming all of our lives.” —President Barack Obama (on Twitter) “An important book.” —Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review The surprising and important story of how humans gained what amounts to an extra life, from the bestselling author of How We Got to Now and Where Good Ideas Come From In 1920, at the end of the last major pandemic, global life expectancy was just over forty years. Today, in many parts of the world, human beings can expect to live more than eighty years. As a species we have doubled our life expectancy in just one century. There are few measures of human progress more astonishing than this increased longevity. Extra Life is Steven Johnson’s attempt to understand where that progress came from, telling the epic story of one of humanity’s greatest achievements. How many of those extra years came from vaccines, or the decrease in famines, or seatbelts? What are the forces that now keep us alive longer? Behind each breakthrough lies an inspiring story of cooperative innovation, of brilliant thinkers bolstered by strong systems of public support and collaborative networks, and of dedicated activists fighting for meaningful reform. But for all its focus on positive change, this book is also a reminder that meaningful gaps in life expectancy still exist, and that new threats loom on the horizon, as the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear. How do we avoid decreases in life expectancy as our public health systems face unprecedented challenges? What current technologies or interventions that could reduce the impact of future crises are we somehow ignoring? A study in how meaningful change happens in society, Extra Life celebrates the enduring power of common goals and public resources, and the heroes of public health and medicine too often ignored in popular accounts of our history. This is the sweeping story of a revolution with immense public and personal consequences: the doubling of the human life span.

"Everyone knows the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention," but if you do a paternity test on many of the modern world's most important ideas or institutions, you will find, invariably, that leisure and play were involved in the conception as well." Most history books don't concern themselves with delight. History is the serious business of war, treaties, governments and monarchs. This is a different kind of history book. Steven Johnson argues that if you want to understand how we got to now, you have to understand pleasure and play. A staggering amount of the landscape of modern life is populated by environments and technology designed to entertain and delight us. Here history of popular entertainment, arguing that the pursuit of novelty and wonder is a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change. Throughout history, he locates the cutting edge of innovation wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves and others amused.He introduces us to the colorful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, showmen, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, exotic meals, taverns, gambling tables, and magic shows.

Plenty of books offer useful advice on how to get better at making quick-thinking, intuitive choices. But what about more consequential decisions, the ones that affect our lives for years, or centuries, to come? Our most powerful stories revolve around these kinds of decisions: where to live, whom to marry, what to believe, whether to start a company, how to end a war. Full of the beautifully crafted storytelling and novel insights that Steven Johnson's fans know to expect, Farsighted draws lessons from cognitive science, social psychology, military strategy, environmental planning, and great works of literature. Everyone thinks we are living in an age of short attention spans, but we've actually learned a lot about making long-term decisions over the past few decades. Johnson makes a compelling case for a smarter and more deliberative decision-making approach. He argues that we choose better when we break out of the myopia of single-scale thinking and develop methods for considering all the factors involved. There's no one-size-fits-all model for the important decisions that can alter the course of a life, an organization, or a civilization. But Farsighted explains how we can approach these choices more effectively, and how we can appreciate the subtle intelligence of choices that shaped our broader social history.

A fascinating deep dive on innovation from the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got To Now and Unexpected Life The printing press, the pencil, the flush toilet, the battery--these are all great ideas. But where do they come from? What kind of environment breeds them? What sparks the flash of brilliance? How do we generate the breakthrough technologies that push forward our lives, our society, our culture? Steven Johnson's answers are revelatory as he identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines. From Darwin and Freud to the halls of Google and Apple, Johnson investigates the innovation hubs throughout modern time and pulls out the approaches and commonalities that seem to appear at moments of originality.

A fascinating deep dive on innovation from the New York Times bestselling author of How We Got To Now and Unexpected Life The printing press, the pencil, the flush toilet, the battery--these are all great ideas. But where do they come from? What kind of environment breeds them? What sparks the flash of brilliance? How do we generate the breakthrough technologies that push forward our lives, our society, our culture? Steven Johnson's answers are revelatory as he identifies the seven key patterns behind genuine innovation, and traces them across time and disciplines. From Darwin and Freud to the halls of Google and Apple, Johnson investigates the innovation hubs throughout modern time and pulls out the approaches and commonalities that seem to appear at moments of originality.

* Our summary is short, simple and pragmatic. It allows you to have the essential ideas of a big book in less than 30 minutes. * You will discover the springs of innovation and progress, in human societies as well as in nature. *You will also discover that : evolution in nature obeys rules comparable to those of human innovation, and can bring us valuable lessons; innovation is not only based on the inventiveness of an individual, but on fertile environments that allow the circulation of ideas; it is through cooperation and exchange that innovative ideas can develop; in all fields, progress and great discoveries are made step by step and have multiple influences; innovation is nourished by the confrontation of different points of view and the intervention of various specialties. *From the very beginning, the capacity for innovation has been what has allowed us to evolve and prosper. Nature abounds in creative potential and sometimes surprising complexity. By studying its workings, we can discern trends that are found in human societies and can serve as inspiration. Indeed, certain ecosystems are particularly conducive to the development of life, ideas and technologies. Very rich in activity, they are based primarily on the openness and free circulation of resources. *Buy now the summary of this book for the modest price of a cup of coffee!

Strategic Business Transformation The seven deadly sins to overcome What can Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela teach us about running businesses that face transformation in their markets. This book courageously offers that businesses that transform markets or respond to transformation know that they must transform themselves before they transform others. Great companies find a cause greater than themselves, organizes this cause into executable momentum and conquers the imagination of the market. Transforming your business requires a recipe powered by a cause not missions. Read and see how and why.

How often do you find yourself saying “Great idea”? All the time, right? Now, how often do those ideas actually become reality? Rarely. Why is that? Is it because there are not many great ideas in the world? Or is there something else standing in the way? Fruition: How Great Ideas Come to Life is the first book to uncover what it takes to turn your great idea into a great thing. Unlike other books and frameworks which only present lists of techniques to try when creating and selling your idea, Fruition gets to the bottom of what differentiates successful great ideas – those that become a reality – from all those that did not. The authors leverage their decades of research and experience to teach you the fundamentals for how to successfully bring your great ideas to fruition. Discover how almost anyone can have great ideas by tapping into the 3 Senses Model of ideation™. Learn common failure points for fruition and why most ideas remain unrealized. Uncover the 6 Efforts System of Idea Fruition™ that all successful ideators take on, and understand why each is critical to your success. For each of the 6 Efforts you need to have to bring your idea to life, we share dozens of techniques and strategies. This book is for anyone who feels like they have great ideas but are stuck – or don’t even know where to start. It is perfect for leaders who want to empower their teams to discover more great ideas and navigate the complicated process of selling them within an organization. Whether your idea is the next billion-dollar product, a process improvement for your workplace, a movement to mobilize a community, or a way to make the parent group at your child’s school function better – this will empower you to successfully navigate the journey to fruition.