Me, Myself, and Us

How does your personality shape your life… and what, if anything, can you do about it?

Are you hardwired for happiness, or born to broo d? Do you think you’re in charge of your future, or do you surf the waves of unknowable fate? Would you be happier, or just less socially adept, if you were less concerned about what other people thought of you? And what about your “Type A” spouse: is he or she destined to have a heart attack, or just drive you to drink?

In the past few decades, new scientific research has transformed old ideas about the nature of human personality. Neuroscientists, biologists, and psychological scientists have reexamined the theories of Freud and Jung as well as the humanistic psychologies of the 1960s, upending the simplistic categorizations of personality “types,” and developing new tools and methods for exploring who we are.

Renowned professor and pioneering research psychologist Brian R. Little has been at the leading edge of this new science. In this wise and witty book he shares a wealth of new data and provocative insights about who we are, why we act the way we do, what we can—and can’t—change, and how we can best thrive in light of our “nature.”

Me, Myself, and Us explores questions that are rooted in the origins of human consciousness but are as commonplace as yesterday’s breakfast conversation, such as whether our personality traits are “set” by age thirty or whether our brains and selves are more plastic. He considers what our personalities portend for our health and success, and the extent to which our well-being depends on the personal projects we pursue.

Through stories, studies, personal experiences, and entertaining interactive assessments, Me, Myself, and Us provides a lively, thought-provoking, and ultimately optimistic look at the possibilities and perils of being uniquely ourselves, while illuminating the selves of the familiar strangers we encounter, work with, and love.

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Reviews

“Me, Myself, and Us is a truly gripping look at questions at the heart of the human experience. Why do we do what we do? How does our environment shape our nature and our nature our environment? Are some people just innately happier than other? In crisp and lucid prose, one of the giants in the field of personality science tackles these questions and many more. I defy you to read this book and not change the way you think about your friends, your family, and yourself.”

—Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND

Insightful, clever and practical. Professor Little is a genius, making personality psychology not only relevant but essential knowledge in the modern world. This book is one “aha” moment after another, each rocking your world and upending the way you think about your coworkers, your relationships and your life.”

—Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and CEO of GoodThink

“Me, Myself, and Us is a masterpiece. With extraordinary wit and wisdom, distinguished psychologist Brian Little offers startling insights about our trivial pursuits and magnificent obsessions. It should come with a warning label: this book will fundamentally change the way you see yourself and everyone you know.”

—Adam Grant, Wharton professor and bestselling author of Give and Take

“Brian Little is one of the wisest, funniest, kindest, and most erudite people I have ever met, and in this book you’ll be treated to a generous helping of all these personality traits. A monumentally important book for anyone who wants to understand their colleagues, their loved ones — and their very own selves.”

—Susan Cain, author of the New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking“

Professor Brian R. Little is an internationally acclaimed scholar and speaker in the field of personality and motivational psychology. He is a fellow of the Well-being Institute at Cambridge University, where he also lectures in the Department of Psychology and the Cambridge Judge Business School. He is a distinguished research professor emeritus at Carleton University. Little ...

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Professor Brian R. Little is an internationally acclaimed scholar and speaker in the field of personality and motivational psychology. He is a fellow of the Well-being Institute at Cambridge University, where he also lectures in the Department of Psychology and the Cambridge Judge Business School. He is a distinguished research professor emeritus at Carleton University. Little has taught at Carleton, McGill, Oxford, and Harvard Universities. He was elected as a Favorite Professor by the graduating classes of Harvard for three consecutive years. He lives in Cambridge, England, and Ottawa, Canada. For more information, visit brianrlittle.com or follow him on Twitter @DrBrianRLittle."