Review: When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pink describes a wide variety of research that relate in some way, directly or tangentially, to timing. You’ll find as you read through this book that pretty much everything that has been researched has a time element – things don’t happen unless time passes. That means the opposite of a book called “When” would be a book called “Is” with a bunch of definitions in it. So, given the wealth of research that could fall into a book with this moniker, Pink finds some entertaining topics, some with interesting research, some with stories that aren’t so well known. This is very much a pop science book, with Pink providing the humorous and knowing consistent voice collecting these writings into a mildly cohesive whole. I have a soft spot for pop science books that are readable, even though the information presented is obviously simplified, and often, like here with the audio version, presented without the backup information you would need to check sources yourself. There were statements made here that just seemed incorrect, more than the recent pop science books I’ve read/listened to. Or perhaps I’m just getting more cynical in what I believe. I did like that Pink broke out after each chapter a description of the research presented and suggestions on how a person could put that research into action in their own life. While much was obvious, it was a kind of tincture of self-help added to the book, providing something extra. Again, the book is a well-written example of pop science, and if you are interested in a relaxing non-fiction read, this is it.

View all my reviews