Fascinating research and insight
Based in the context of genetics and psychology, The Impulse Factor, is a great tool for understanding risk and risk aversion. Nick Tasler used years of research to illustrate why it's easier for some to take risks than others and whether or not risk takers are more successful than non risk takers in business.

Business professionals can benefit from The Impulse Factor as a tool for understanding how and why different people, including themselves, either make or don't make risky decisions. By reading Tasler's book, people, despite their innate tendencies, can learn to make better decisions thus improving their chances of success.

Do you like taking risks for the chance of higher payout? This book tells you why you make those decisions.
Which one are you? Are you among the 75% who are "Risk Managers" or among the other 25% who are "Potential Seekers"? Why do some people opt for a 50% chance to win $10,000 rather than a 100% guarantee of getting $5000?

The answer lies partly in genetics according to the author. Some of us have the "novelty seeking genes" that make some of us seek thrills in every day life to get to the same happy state that others may get to by just pottering about in their garden or reading books. Impulsiveness, argues the author can be a factor of genetics.

Ultimately, this is book that delves into the decision making process and gives us insights to manage risk without running from opportunity. It also asks the impulse followers to Think, Analyze and then React. The aim is to strike a balance in our decision making process.

This book is interesting and Nick Tasler has a good style. However, the book got too long in parts. We are so used to getting our information in bite sized nuggets now that any chapter that takes too long to get to the point gets boring. I thought Tasler used great examples to illustrate his points in the book, but he gave so much build up in some that the nugget of information which came at the end was almost anti-climactic.

If you're interested enough to read this review, I recommend reading this book. For me it wasn't earth shattering but it provided insight into the question, why do some of us jump into entrepreneurship propelled by a new idea while the rest of us keep working at our jobs still mulling over the pros and cons of taking that step. If you've been intrigued by the same question, I recommend reading this book.

Really good book especially during these volatile times in the stock markets
This book does a great job of dissecting the mechanics of impulse behavior, especially the comparisons between recognized athletes and corporate CEO's and the nuances that distinguish the champion athletes and CEO's from their less successful peers.

If you read this and the Black Swan The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, it would be comprehensive explanation of successful behavior and how unpredictable events coincide.

Fantastic! A must have!
My read was well timed. I was reading the manuscript for review during the 2008 election cycle and waited to published this review until I was able to see if the concepts in chapter three were valid. A favorite line in the book, "But when it comes right down to it, voters are far less concerned with eating than they are being eaten, and that makes them much more attentive to danger than the dinner bell." Needless to say, Tasler's "THE IMPULSE FACTOR" was right on.

Although politics isn't the core of this great book, it does help you understand all the political ads we distain! As I read through the book, I found more and more examples with well written explanations why people tend to do what they do. We all have some risk taking in us, some more than others. What's interesting is the WHY some do what they do and others don't. You'll see yourself in many examples and those examples will clearly help you understand yourself and others.

This book is not only an enjoyable read for any reader interested in behavior, but for those that want to better understand people in general. It will help you identify the `instincts' you have about someone into understandable theory. Although packed with great information and sourced examples, the book is not a complicated read.

THE IMPULSE FACTOR joins the great company of the works of Dr. Robert Cialdini, Dr. William Bridges and Dr. Victor Vroom and Dr. Daniel Goldman.I yellow pened this book so much I bought a second copy and the audio CD for myself and another copy for my family to read. The Impulse Factor is that good a book. A top five book for 2008.

Insights For Improved Decision Making
The Impulse Factor is a research based book from Nick Tasler of TalentSmart. At its core, it offers a quantifiable measure of decision making tendencies based on one's personal tendencies toward impulsiveness. It is a very logically structured book. It starts out with five chapters that provide the motivation based on research and observation of both man and animal throughout history. The final four chapters deal with the "Impulse Factor" test and how it applies to everyday life. Each chapter begins with a real world example that sets the stage for the particular topic, and the remainder of the chapter provides the technical details in light of the example. In addition, each copy of the book comes with a unique code on the inside cover of the dust jacket that gives access to take the online version of the Impulse Factor assessment. Afterward, you have unlimited access to your results as well as tools to help you improve your own decision making based on your results.

I liked the book overall. Tasler has a good writing style, and I never felt that the book bogged down even when he was dealing with genetics or psychology. As a result, I found that it was a fairly quick read in spite of the fact that it is fairly technical in these areas. One area for readers to be cognizant of is that Tasler bases a lot of his ideas on the theory of evolution. The data and current observation and research that he presents stand on their own, but you may find that you draw conclusions about their origins differently based on your own worldview. However, I found that the insights and online tools were worth the effort, and most people will find The Impulse Factor useful regardless of their worldview. Given the importance of decision making in the business world, people in leadership positions stand to gain the most from reading this book. That's not to say that other decisions are less important, but they do tend to be less frequent.