This revolutionary new book shows us that everything we thought about power is dead wrong. It is not gained, as the Machiavellian view says, through coercive force. This revolutionary new book shows us that everything we thought about power is dead wrong. It is not gained, as the Machiavellian view says, through coercive force. Influence comes instead to those who are socially intelligent and empathetic - but ironically the seductions of power make us lose those very qualities that made us powerful in the first place. By drawing on fascinating case studies that debunk longstanding myths, Dacher Keltner illuminates this 'power paradox', revealing how it shapes not just companies and elections but everyday relationships. Both power and powerlessness distort human behaviour, affecting whether or not we will have an affair, break the law, suffer from depression or find our purpose in life. By redefining power as the ability to do good for others, Keltner turns everything we know about influence, status, and inequality upside down.

'Dacher Keltner is the most interesting psychologist in America.' Michael Lewis 'Keltner's brilliant research gives us a lens that lets us see afresh hidden patterns in society, politics, and our own lives. No doubt this will be one of the most significant science books of the decade.' Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence 'His combination of academic sophistication and clear style delivers a new concept of power in our society today that is provocative and intriguing.' Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Half the Sky- How to Change the World 'Dacher Keltner applies a lifetime of research to this topic, offering a lively description of how true power is like a return on a social investment in others.' Frans de Waal, author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? 'Everyone can learn from this wise book.' Susan T. Fiske, Professor of Psychology at Princeton and author of Social Cognition.