Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success

by Matthew Syed

Overview

“Insightful and entertaining . . . Takes us a step deeper into the world of sports, showing us how much we can learn about our own behavior.” —Dan Ariely, New York Times–bestselling author

Why have all the sprinters who have run the 100 meters in under ten seconds been black?

What’s one thing Mozart, Venus Williams, and Michelangelo have in common?

Is it good to praise a child’s intelligence?

Why are baseball players so superstitious?

Few things in life are more satisfying than beating a rival. We love to win and hate to lose, whether it’s on the playing field or at the ballot box, in the office or in the classroom. In this bold new look at human behavior, award-winning journalist and Olympian Matthew Syed explores the truth about our competitive nature—why we win, why we don’t, and how we really play the game of life. Bounce reveals how competition—the most vivid, primal, and dramatic of human pursuits—provides vital insight into many of the most controversial issues of our time, from biology and economics, to psychology and culture, to genetics and race, to sports and politics.

Backed by cutting-edge scientific research and case studies, Syed shatters long-held myths about meritocracy, talent, performance, and the mind. He explains why some people thrive under pressure and others choke, and weighs the value of innate ability against that of practice, hard work, and will. From sex to math, from the motivation of children to the culture of big business, Bounce shows how competition provides a master key with which to unlock the mysteries of the world.

“Readers who gobbled up Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational will flock to this one.”

—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061991394
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	410
File size:	886 KB

About the Author

A two-time Olympian and a graduate of Oxford University, Matthew Syed is a columnist for The Times (London), a commentator for the BBC, and a recipient of the British Press Award for Sports Journalist of the Year, and was named British Sports Feature Writer of the Year by the Sports Journalists' Association.

Table of Contents

Part I The Talent Myth

Chapter 1 The Hidden Logic of Success 3

Chapter 2 Miraculous Children? 55

Chapter 3 The Path to Excellence 77

Chapter 4 Mysterious Sparks and Life-Changing Mind-Sets 113

Part II Paradoxes of the Mind

Chapter 5 The Placebo Effect 149

Chapter 6 The Curse of Choking and How to Avoid It 181

Chapter 7 Baseball Rituals, Pigeons, and Why Great Sportsmen Feel Miserable After Winning 201

Part III Deep Reflections

Chapter 8 Optical Illusions and X-Ray Vision 217

Chapter 9 Drugs in Sport, Schwarzenegger Mice, and the Future of Mankind 233

Chapter 10 Are Blacks Superior Runners? 255

Acknowledgments 287

Notes 289

Index 303

What People are Saying About This

Dan Ariely

“Sport is often used as an analogy for business, education, and personal relationships. In this insightful and entertaining book, Matthew Syed takes us a step deeper into the world of sports, showing us how much we can learn about our own behavior.”

Jonathan Edwards

“Intellectually stimulating and hugely enjoyable at a stroke. . . . Challenged some of my most cherished beliefs about life and success.”

Mark Thomas

“A cutting edge dissection—and ultimate destruction—of the myth of innate talent in the pursuit of excellence. Syed synthesizes his evidence with the precision of an academic, writes with the fluidity of a journalist, and persuades with the drive of a sportsman. Read this book.”

Michael Sherwood

“Compelling and, at times, exhilarating—Bounce explains high achievement in sport, business, and beyond.”

Editorial Reviews

Syed, sportswriter and columnist for the London Times, takes a hard look at performance psychology, heavily influenced by his own ego-damaging but fruitful epiphany. At the age of 24, Syed became the #1 British table tennis player, an achievement he initially attributed to his superior speed and agility. But in retrospect, he realizes that a combination of advantages—a mentor, good facilities nearby, and lots of time to hone his skills—set him up perfectly to become a star performer. He admits his argument owes a debt to Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, but he aims to move one step beyond it, drawing on cognitive neuroscience research to explain how the body and mind are transformed by specialized practice. He takes on the myth of the child prodigy, emphasizing that Mozart, the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods, and Susan Polgar, the first female grandmaster, all had live-in coaches in the form of supportive parents who put them through a ton of early practice. Cogent discussions of the neuroscience of competition, including the placebo effect of irrational optimism, self-doubt, and superstitions, all lend credence to a compelling narrative; readers who gobbled up Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational will flock to this one. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Sport is often used as an analogy for business, education, and personal relationships. In this insightful and entertaining book, Matthew Syed takes us a step deeper into the world of sports, showing us how much we can learn about our own behavior.” — Dan Ariely, New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational

“Everything Matthew Syed writes is worth reading.” — Lynne Truss, bestselling author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves

“The most important book I’ve read over the past six months is Matthew Syed’s Bounce.” — Peter Orszag

“A cutting edge dissection—and ultimate destruction—of the myth of innate talent in the pursuit of excellence. Syed synthesizes his evidence with the precision of an academic, writes with the fluidity of a journalist, and persuades with the drive of a sportsman. Read this book now—before its too late. There are no excuses!” — Mark Thomas, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics, University College London

“Intellectually stimulating and hugely enjoyable at a stroke. . . . Challenged some of my most cherished beliefs about life and success.” — Jonathan Edwards, Olympic Gold Medal Winner in the Triple Jump

“Compelling and, at times, exhilarating—Bounce explains high achievement in sport, business, and beyond.” — Michael Sherwood, Chief Executive, Goldman Sachs International

“Cogent discussions of the neuroscience of competition, including the placebo effect of irrational optimist, self-doubt, and superstitions, all lend credence to a compelling narrative; readers who gobbled up Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational will flock to this one.” — Publishers Weekly

“Philosophical and thought-provoking.” — BookPage

From the Publisher

Sport is often used as an analogy for business, education, and personal relationships. In this insightful and entertaining book, Matthew Syed takes us a step deeper into the world of sports, showing us how much we can learn about our own behavior.

Dan Ariely

A cutting edge dissection—and ultimate destruction—of the myth of innate talent in the pursuit of excellence. Syed synthesizes his evidence with the precision of an academic, writes with the fluidity of a journalist, and persuades with the drive of a sportsman. Read this book now—before its too late. There are no excuses!

Mark Thomas

Philosophical and thought-provoking.

BookPage

Everything Matthew Syed writes is worth reading.

Lynne Truss

Compelling and, at times, exhilarating—Bounce explains high achievement in sport, business, and beyond.

Michael Sherwood

The most important book I’ve read over the past six months is Matthew Syed’s Bounce.

Peter Orszag

Intellectually stimulating and hugely enjoyable at a stroke. . . . Challenged some of my most cherished beliefs about life and success.

Jonathan Edwards