Nonfiction

Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less

Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less

  • Downloads：9603
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-06 06:52:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Leidy Klotz
  • ISBN：1250249872
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Summary

"You need to read this book。" —Adam Grant， #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A great book changes the world you live in， revealing mysteries you didn't even know were there。 This is a great book。" —Sendhil Mullainathan， MacArthur fellow and author of Scarcity

Blending behavioral science and design， Leidy Klotz's Subtract offers a scientific appreciation of why we underuse subtraction—and how to access its untapped potential。

We pile on “to-dos” but don’t consider “stop-doings。” We create incentives for good behavior， but don’t get rid of obstacles to it。 We collect new-and-improved ideas， but don’t prune the outdated ones。 Every day， across challenges big and small， we neglect a basic way to make things better: we don’t subtract。 Klotz’s pioneering research shows us what is true whether we’re building Lego models， cities， grilled-cheese sandwiches， or strategic plans: Our minds tend to add before taking away， and this is holding us back。

But we have a choice—our blind spot need not go on taking its toll。 Subtract arms us with the science of less and empowers us to revolutionize our day-to-day lives and shift how we move through the world。 More or less。

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Reviews

Ethan Nguyen ，

Our biology， our culture， and our economies all conspire to keep us locked in a cycle of acquisition。 But you can create positive change by going against the grain and removing things instead。 Subtracting isn’t the easy road – or the shorter process – but you can transcend “good enough” and get to beauty， simplicity， and real progress by actively taking away。I do not entirely agree with some perspectives from the author because of its extremity。 However， this is a fine book with such good ration Our biology， our culture， and our economies all conspire to keep us locked in a cycle of acquisition。 But you can create positive change by going against the grain and removing things instead。 Subtracting isn’t the easy road – or the shorter process – but you can transcend “good enough” and get to beauty， simplicity， and real progress by actively taking away。I do not entirely agree with some perspectives from the author because of its extremity。 However， this is a fine book with such good rationales。 。。。more

Dennis Ward ，

The overall theme of the book is good。 I would sum it up as "You can sometimes improve things by subtraction。" However， the author could have followed his own advice and subtracted many rambling parts of the book。 A few chapters in， I was tired of the same basic message over and over。 I recommend you "subtract" the majority of the book and simply read the two pages summary at the end。 The overall theme of the book is good。 I would sum it up as "You can sometimes improve things by subtraction。" However， the author could have followed his own advice and subtracted many rambling parts of the book。 A few chapters in， I was tired of the same basic message over and over。 I recommend you "subtract" the majority of the book and simply read the two pages summary at the end。 。。。more

Mohammad Baqir ，

Looking for a video summary of the book？ Watch it here: https://youtu。be/fvKZo1Qk3a4 Looking for a video summary of the book？ Watch it here: https://youtu。be/fvKZo1Qk3a4 。。。more

Esther ，

The idea that people do not think of subtracting whenever wanting to make a change instead of our natural tendency which is to add is an interesting idea。 This book could’ve used some subtracting in editing。 Too many words using the same examples over and over for one main idea。

Kerry ，

Compelling ideas and engaging writing。

Hazel Bright ，

I don't know if the author was trying to prove his own point， but he could have eliminated a good third of this book by removing repetitions of previous points。 Still quite enlightening and worth reading the first several chapters。 I don't know if the author was trying to prove his own point， but he could have eliminated a good third of this book by removing repetitions of previous points。 Still quite enlightening and worth reading the first several chapters。 。。。more

Michael Wolcott ，

For a book about subtraction， I feel like it actually could have been shorter。 There was a lot related to how subtraction relates to social issues like racism and climate change that seemed somewhat disconnected。 A few helpful pearls—other than that a little redundant。

Mohit ，

Less is not equal to loss it can be more！ Beautifully simple idea shown thru multiples lenses and perspectives。

Amy ，

The concept is interesting， and the stories at the beginning are interesting。 The studies are somewhat interesting。 The follow-up studies reinforce the first studies， so they are less interesting。I don't know what the rest of the book is like。 I stopped reading after two chapters。I look forward to reading the second edition， which will be 50-75 pages shorter。 The concept is interesting， and the stories at the beginning are interesting。 The studies are somewhat interesting。 The follow-up studies reinforce the first studies， so they are less interesting。I don't know what the rest of the book is like。 I stopped reading after two chapters。I look forward to reading the second edition， which will be 50-75 pages shorter。 。。。more

Olesia Altynbaeva ，

The book focuses on one single cognitive bias that is one of the most relevant in the current world。 People tend to add things to change something with a hope to improve it。 But it does not always the best strategy according to the author's research。 He provides numerous examples of how 'Less is More' mantra can help people make improvements without resorting to adding in the first place。 Throughout the history， people have thought that abundance creates wealth and progress， what if we try to su The book focuses on one single cognitive bias that is one of the most relevant in the current world。 People tend to add things to change something with a hope to improve it。 But it does not always the best strategy according to the author's research。 He provides numerous examples of how 'Less is More' mantra can help people make improvements without resorting to adding in the first place。 Throughout the history， people have thought that abundance creates wealth and progress， what if we try to subtract first and see how the system responds？ 。。。more

Ryan Smith ，

Definitely could have been shorter in some parts， but I appreciate the message and the historical examples were interesting。

Matin ，

Subtraction is an overlooked force for change。Subtracting is less mentally accessible than adding。Adding makes us feel competent and happy。First came addition; then came civilization。Keynesian economics tells us we can get rich by adding。Systemic oppression can be tackled with subtraction。Subtraction is well worth the extra effort。

Mark ，

Interesting premise， but boring book。 Didn't finish it。 Interesting premise， but boring book。 Didn't finish it。 。。。more

Allen Himes ，

Great idea， terrible writing。 Complicated analogies， references to previous minute points that are difficult to remember， and few practical takeaways。

Jess Dollar ，

Trying to catch up on some of the best nonfiction books of 2021。 This one has an important message that is easy to learn and hard to remember: often times the solution to a problem is to take something away， not add something。

Stephanie Nelson ，

The principle idea in this book -- that when we want to improve something， we are biased towards adding and neglect the possibilities that subtraction could bring us -- is fantastic。 It's novel and paradigm shifting。 It's covered really well in this 6-minute video: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=1y32O。。。And。。。 that's pretty much all the book says。 Almost all of this book is filler， and it really only counts as a book because of the gigantic font （my copy has no more than 250 words per page）。 An The principle idea in this book -- that when we want to improve something， we are biased towards adding and neglect the possibilities that subtraction could bring us -- is fantastic。 It's novel and paradigm shifting。 It's covered really well in this 6-minute video: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=1y32O。。。And。。。 that's pretty much all the book says。 Almost all of this book is filler， and it really only counts as a book because of the gigantic font （my copy has no more than 250 words per page）。 And unfortunately， it is really poorly written。 I'm sure that's not the author's fault， since he's a scientist， not an artist。 But ugh， it is borderline unreadable。 It's full of anecdotes that are marginal examples of subtraction， at best。 It jumps topic every two sentences （not an exaggeration） -- unless he's talking about his son， which he does more than is interesting。 He loves an inelegant pun （more-ality; lesslist; unpossible）。 He's a fan of the 80s and is pretty certain you know all his references by heart。 He adores choppy strings of short sentences。 But the worst part is his odd habit of calling back to people he talked （briefly！） about before。。。 constantly， all the time。 You better remember the name of every random person he names in each anecdote he discusses， no matter how brief， because it will be awkwardly inserted into a sentence a paragraph， 10 pages， and three chapters later。 And 15 more times besides。 At least a third of the text is just ungainly sentences where the author tries to convince you his examples were all relevant or interesting by just repeating the names of people or things he's mentioned before。 Let me give you a flavor。 I just opened the book to a random page （p 136）， and here are some examples from the start of chapter 4， sentence 4: "Producers don't thrive by taking away。 Dockworker-activist Leo Robinson was a communist。 I couldn't profit by subtracting from the square footage of my house。 [。。。S]ubtracting can add up - in pedal-less bikes， hollow blocks， [。。。] Nike air。 Sue Biederman， those who divested from apartheid， and Liz Dunn's study participants。 [。。。] Ryan McFarland， for his part， has multitudes right in his Instagram handle。 [。。。] Hazel Rose Markus would be proud。" That's 12 different topics （"multitudes" is a reference to Walt Whitman that he makes a lot）。 And it's just a list of things the author discussed， usually briefly and many pages ago （you'll need to remember， for instance， that Hazel Rose Markus is the author of a book that was discussed for a second 50 pages ago）。 And this excerpt is from only the first 200 words of that section。 While repetition is sometimes helpful to reinforce concepts， this kind of repetition is unhelpful and impossible to follow （there's no index if you forget who Hazel Rose Markus is）。 Worse， it's annoying。 You start wondering if this is a way to pad out his word count， like a sophomore whose essay is overdue。 It also becomes flat-out unreadable。 Like some kind of terrible poem。 By the end， this is how the author sums up some of the takeaways of the book: "Try accessing a different multitude。 The father might see what the bicycle designer misses。 If you run out of multitudes， hire an editor。 And don't forget to zoom out to see the field， because stop-doings and negative numbers are not unpossible。 Plus， the field is where the tension is， and removing is the "good" way to change systems。 So sure， add diversity， but subtracting racism is the prize。" Or go ahead and decipher this: "Can you make less undeniable？ Bruce Springsteen made Darkness visible。 Costa Rica made neutrality noticeable。 Chip made an empty go-kart funny。 Don't forget you can reuse your subtractions， like doughnut holes。 Subtract stuff to leave a legacy of options， like Sue， Leo， and Elinor。"If someone created these snippets with magnetic poetry， you might be impressed。 For a book， it's awful。 As the "takeaways" of the book， it's unforgiveable。 This is a 1 star book that I'm giving 2 stars because the idea in it is good。 Watch the 6 minute video instead。 。。。more

TrudyKJP ，

I really liked this book。 It has made me try to think of taking away instead of adding layers to problem solving and ways of doing things。 I love the concept of more-ality and the trap that has become for us。 I have come away with some new perspectives and a new tool for looking at life。

Mohan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Having decided to bring in the new year over a book， Subtract， by Leidy Klotz was my choice， having stumbled on it in a Blinkist list of ’22 powerful ideas for 22’。 Just to clarify， and save what I can of my reputation， I read this around the new year period， not actually into the midnight hour （if that helps at all！）。 As the title suggests， the core idea of the book is that humanity has the tendency to add rather than subtract in our response to situations and that adding subtraction as another Having decided to bring in the new year over a book， Subtract， by Leidy Klotz was my choice， having stumbled on it in a Blinkist list of ’22 powerful ideas for 22’。 Just to clarify， and save what I can of my reputation， I read this around the new year period， not actually into the midnight hour （if that helps at all！）。 As the title suggests， the core idea of the book is that humanity has the tendency to add rather than subtract in our response to situations and that adding subtraction as another tool in our kit makes sense。 It is a cool idea， definitely worth keeping in mind and one that we will do well to use actively as we enter a new year， resolutions， clean slates and all。 The book is well researched and talks through the central idea very comprehensively。 That said it certainly suffers from the recent tendency of authors to say in a book what they could say in an article （a though well worth a book to itself and aspirationally one thing we need to solve for in 22！）。 As one of the reviewers of the books put it rather bluntly， the book could ironically have done with some subtraction！The basic premise comes from the author’s realization that we look at addition as a means to solving problems when subtraction would do as well。 It starts off with a few strong stories that bring out instances where subtraction was a better solution than addition。 The first is of San Francisco’s Embarcadero freeway， which has now become a much visited waterfront thanks to the efforts of Sue Bierman。 Surprisingly， the city opposed it when it was originally proposed and stumbled on this solution only when an earthquake brought down a part of the original freeway。 Most resident of the city could not get themselves to agree to the removal of a part of their city infrastructure as it was seen as counter to growth and success。 The subtraction of the freeway however gave them a lot more。 The next story is of Leo Robinson， who started the financial subtraction that brought down apartheid。 His approach was of financial boycotts to weaken the system rather than actively fighting the regime。 The last story was of Elinor Ostrom subtracting from the theory known as the ‘tragedy of commons’， through active research that led to carve-outs proving that active system intervention prevented this tragedy。 All the stories talk of a counterintuitive approach that individuals took， against active opposition， to use subtraction as a solution， and of subtraction as a credible and perhaps more powerful solution than addition。The book goes on to detail the study that the author undertook to establish this addition bias。 Various statistically studies proved that to a neutral audience， addition was the primary response to a situation。 This changed if they were made aware of subtraction as a credible alternative， making it clear that subtraction is less mentally accessible to us than addition。 The book goes on to try and establish the philosophical underpinning for this default choice。 The conclusion is that addition is typically seen by us a the competent option and adds to our sense of fulfillment。 History gives us further insight into this predisposition as this process of addition underpins our evolution from nomadic hunter gatherers to city dwellers。 Success for humanity was in increasing our possessions， a tendency we have let permeate every facet of our existence and thinking。 This has become the foundation of our economics as socialistic thinking collapsed globally and consumerism has become the central thinking in our quest for success and happiness。 The book goes on to establish that in many instances， subtraction is actually the better alternative。 As I indicated earlier， the book covers the central idea comprehensively and provides an academically rigorous read。 The key philosophical point that it is a biological choice from a bygone era that seems to be guiding our consumerism and urge to keep acquiring， is important for us to understand and address， for us to retain our sanity as humanity enters the coming era of abundance。 It is a great thought to add to our repertoire as we enter the post pandemic period which has forced us to adopt new habits without our having shed the old。 It is definitely a key idea for us to keep in mind， reacting to any situation， in making the right choices when it is getting cheaper and cheaper to acquire and consumerism has brought us to the place where acquisition is the end rather than the means to an end。 That said this is a book that can productively be read as an abstract without losing much， to save your time to read for something more worth your while！ It is certainly a key idea I will carry into the new year。 。。。more

Szymon ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The standard way of proving a point you’re trying to make is form a hypothesis and prove or in a more inductive way work through examples to land at a hypothesis。This book starts with a statement “Subtraction is an overlooked force of change” which is as vague as it gets and then treats it as a truth of life… then throws subtraction as a solution on any currently fashionable problem of the ideologically obsessed… arguing that a solution to the apartheid problem was subtraction of support for gov The standard way of proving a point you’re trying to make is form a hypothesis and prove or in a more inductive way work through examples to land at a hypothesis。This book starts with a statement “Subtraction is an overlooked force of change” which is as vague as it gets and then treats it as a truth of life… then throws subtraction as a solution on any currently fashionable problem of the ideologically obsessed… arguing that a solution to the apartheid problem was subtraction of support for government rather than adding support to the opposition and that therefore is proof that subtraction is solution to racism…No original ideas and clear misunderstanding of the basic fact that subtracting somewhere means relatively adding somewhere else… such irritating book to read。 。。。more

A。I。 Shoukry ，

Good book need to be shorter

Slaveya Georgieva ，

Good one

Neenz Faleafine ，

This is one of those books where I didn’t even know I needed to know this stuff。 It provided me clarity for the space I occupy at this point in my life journey。

Phil Chalk ，

A novel and interesting idea that should be written in an article， not as a book。。。

Steve ，

Got sick of this after 72 pages。 Some intriguing good ideas， but appropriate for an essay not a book。 This was very thin with no indication it was going to get better。 Also some silly blunders like talking about Hunter/Gatherers “digging” for eggplant。 And something about how odometers only “go up” - not true for mechanical odometers used on cars。

Laurie Dameshek ，

I enjoyed this exploration into how humans think and approach the world's problems。 I enjoyed this exploration into how humans think and approach the world's problems。 。。。more

Andrew ，

Deeper insight into the power of "less" and using subtraction as a transformative tool。 Book went on a bit too long on some pretty obvious points， but I did really enjoy the scientific perspective on how we are wired to think in terms of addition vs subtraction。Will certainly remember some of the concepts in this book for a while given how unique they are！ Deeper insight into the power of "less" and using subtraction as a transformative tool。 Book went on a bit too long on some pretty obvious points， but I did really enjoy the scientific perspective on how we are wired to think in terms of addition vs subtraction。Will certainly remember some of the concepts in this book for a while given how unique they are！ 。。。more

Yanal ，

Subtraction is an overlooked force of change。 Subtracting is less mentally accessible than adding。 People typically add out of choice and forget that they can remove things out of the equation。 Adding makes us fully competent。 First came addition then came civilization。 Our economy also favors addition for prosperity。 Keynesian economics say we gain with more addition。 Removing or subtracting barriers to equality can help in racisms。 Subtract is hard work， but it's well worth the effort。 Our bio Subtraction is an overlooked force of change。 Subtracting is less mentally accessible than adding。 People typically add out of choice and forget that they can remove things out of the equation。 Adding makes us fully competent。 First came addition then came civilization。 Our economy also favors addition for prosperity。 Keynesian economics say we gain with more addition。 Removing or subtracting barriers to equality can help in racisms。 Subtract is hard work， but it's well worth the effort。 Our biology， culture， and economy are condition to adding， but you can still have impact by subtracting。 。。。more

Sambit Basu ，

Interesting thesis， but too long。

Dhyey Desai ，

I wish I had subtracted this book from my reading list。 Terrible examples， horrible writing and a book that gives no new insights。

Kelly ，

A worthwhile read for how to look at life differently。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0