More Numbers Every Day by Dahlen and Thorbjørnsen

MORE NUMBERS EVERY DAY is described as a “number vaccine” by the two professors, Micael Dahlen (Stockholm School of Economics) and Helge Thorbjørnsen (Norwegian School of Economics) who are its authors. They are rather anti-number, writing “we do want to bring your attention to how you are influenced by them and help you to relate to them so that the quantification doesn’t make your life poorer.” The text is filled with examples and research with a fairly scholarly (although sometimes humorous) tone and many examples from Scandinavia. One section which is particularly interesting - and troubling - concerns “Numbers and the Truth” where they explore fake numbers and real news. There, they note that “Studies show that when people read news articles without numbers, they judge the credibility of the statements based on the source. However, when the articles contain numbers, the source plays almost no role at all.” Another section looks at the pandemic with its daily numerical updates and their potential impact on a sense of well-being and security. In each case, they provide a numbered summary with observations (e.g., be aware that numbers can get “anchored” in your head) and suggestions that may help craft a more effective “number vaccine.” Well-researched with over ten percent of the book (see how I inadvertently added a numerical measure?) devoted to notes and references, MORE NUMBERS EVERY DAY provides plenty of insight on “How Data, Stats, and Figures Control Our Lives and How to Set Ourselves Free.”