Davies attempts a grand unified theory of compellingnessâ€¦What show is that while media culture can be overwhelming, it also provides a great platform from which to observe the endless mysteries and absurdities of human nature.'- New Scientist 'To describe Riveted as riveting sounds clichÃ©, but I predict that Jim Davies could be the next Malcolm Gladwell. Scepticism, he argues, can help us to build resistance to riveting ideas that turn out to be duds.'- Nature 'In the battle to grab attention, you should heed the musings of Jim Davies in Riveted. Expounding his theory of ''compellingness foundations'', Davies synthesizes research on what makes us susceptible to gripping stimuli, such as our drives to discover patterns and to find incongruity, and our attraction to hope and fear.

But whereas shock might be salutary in an art gallery, it can trigger blind belief in other contexts, points out cognitive scientist Jim Davies. 'A fascinating analysis of what we find fascinating.'- Kirkus Reviews 'Moments that jolt or delight us punctuate our lives. Drawing on work from philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, psychology, economics, computer science, and biology, Davies offers a comprehensive explanation to show that in spite of the differences between the many things that we find compelling, they have similar effects on our minds and brains. When the results came back, the participants' answers before the exercise had no correlation with who they actually found attractive in person! We are beginning to understand just how much the brain makes our decisions for us: we are rewarded with a rush of pleasure when we detect patterns, as the brain thinks we've discovered something significant the mind urges us to linger on the news channel or rubberneck an accident in case it might pick up important survival information it even pushes us to pick up People magazine in order to find out about changes in the social structure.

In one study of speed dating, people were asked what kinds of partners they found attractive. What we like and don't like is almost always determined by subconscious forces, and when we try to consciously predict our own preferences we're often wrong. Compelling things fit our minds like keys in the ignition, turning us on and keeping us running, and yet we are often unaware of what makes these keys fit.

Professor Jim Davies' fascinating and highly accessible book, Riveted, reveals the evolutionary underpinnings of why we find things compelling, from art to religion and from sports to superstition. Why do some things pass under the radar of our attention, but other things capture our interest? Why do some religions catch on and others fade away? What makes a story, a movie, or a book riveting? Why do some people keep watching the news even though it makes them anxious? The past 20 years have seen a remarkable flourishing of scientific research into exactly these kinds of questions.

Riveted by Jim Davies