Look Again

In Look Again, neuroscientist Tali Sharot and legal scholar Cass Sunstein explore habituation, the brain's tendency to stop noticing whatever stays the same. They show how this single mechanism quietly governs much of daily life: why excitement fades into boredom, why we overlook both the wonderful and the dangerous parts of our own routines, and why we grow numb to risks, lies, and injustices that we should keep questioning. Drawing on neuroscience and behavioral research, the authors argue that the cure is to dishabituate, to deliberately disrupt the familiar so that joy becomes vivid again and problems become visible. They apply the idea across happiness, relationships, work, technology, and politics, offering a practical and hopeful guide to noticing what was always there.