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Ever notice how some people get what they want EVERY SINGLE TIME? Those moments when you find yourself agreeing before you realize what happened. That's not magical talent — that's influence.
Books on influence decode exactly how it works: the psychology behind why we say yes, the patterns that build trust, and the communication tricks that actually land. Whether you're trying to rally your team, win over a tough client, or just get your point across, these reads give you the playbook.
Real magic happens when we finally understand people. Why does your colleague always get credit? How do certain brands make you want stuff you didn't even know existed? These books pull back the curtain on decision-making — yours and everyone else's.
There are hundreds of books about influence in the Headway app, and here are 16 to get you started:
'Pre-Suasion' by Robert Cialdini
'Influence, New and Expanded' by Robert B. Cialdini
'The Catalyst' by Jonah Berger
'Too Much and Never Enough' by Mary L. Trump
'Win Bigly' by Scott Adams
'Influencer' by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
'TED Talks' by Chris Anderson
'How to Lead When You're Not in Charge' by Clay Scroggins
'Words That Change Minds' by Shelle Rose Charvet
'You Can Read Anyone' by David J. Lieberman
'The Charisma Myth' by Olivia Fox Cabane
'Exactly What to Say' by Phil M. Jones
'Never Split the Difference' by Chris Voss
'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell
'Crucial Conversations' by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene
Some dig into the neuroscience of trust. Others share war stories from hostage negotiators on how reciprocity really works. You'll find breakdowns on how scarcity makes people panic-buy concert tickets, or why telling a story beats a slide full of facts every time.
The key is to match the book to your goal. Running a team? You'll want a title that blends leadership psychology with practical management moves. In sales? Look for books heavy on negotiation and reading people. Just want to stop getting walked over in meetings? Start with the fundamentals — the ones that explain the core principles without overwhelming you.
The best approach is to mix and match. Headway lets you test-drive the big ideas from all these different angles in 15 minutes each. Every summary is also available as an audio version, so you can learn these game-changing skills on the go. Pop in your earbuds during your commute or while you're at the gym and absorb the key concepts.
PRO TIP: Skip the titles that don't click and dive deeper into the ones that do — because this is the only way to extract the most valuable ideas from each of them.
You can also use Headway growth plans. Just open the app and choose a goal — like becoming a more effective leader or building stronger relationships — and Headway will create a personalized learning journey for you. It'll handpick the perfect book summaries in the right order, so you gain new skills faster.
by Robert Cialdini
by Jonah Berger
by Mary L. Trump PhD
by Scott Adams
by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
by Chris Anderson
by Clay Scroggins
by Shelle Rose Charvet
by David J. Lieberman, PhD
by Olivia Fox Cabane
Dale Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' from 1936. Yeah, it's old, but it still hits. The core idea — make people feel genuinely important and valued — hasn't expired. It's full of Depression-era examples, but the psychology holds up because people haven't really changed that much.
Cialdini originally outlined six principles in his 1984 book, and then added a seventh in 2016: reciprocity (give to get), commitment and consistency (people stick to their word), social proof (follow the crowd), authority (trust experts), liking (say yes to people you like), scarcity (want what's rare), and unity (shared identity creates influence). Master these, and you'll spot persuasion attempts everywhere.
Depends on who you ask. Religious texts like the Bible, Quran, and Bhagavad Gita shaped billions of lives across centuries. Secular candidates include 'The Communist Manifesto' (reshaped governments), 'On the Origin of Species' (changed science forever), or even 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' (fueled abolition movements). Influence isn't just about copies sold — it's about changing how humanity thinks and acts.
That's the print line for the printing you're holding. Publishers use descending numbers to track editions. First printing shows all ten digits. The second printing removes the "1," the third removes the "2," and so on. It helps collectors identify first editions and lets publishers track how often they've reprinted a book. Pretty mundane answer to something few care about, no?
This question is completely personal. For some, it's 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl — finding purpose through suffering changes everything. Others swear by 'The Power of Now' for presence or 'Atomic Habits' for behavior change. The book that rocks your world depends on what you're struggling with right now.
"Most influential" depends on how you measure influence. For example, the Bible wins by historical impact. The Quran transformed the Middle East. Mao's 'Little Red Book' influenced more than a billion people. Shakespeare's works rewired the English language itself.
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