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  • The Four Tendencies

  • The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too)
  • By: Gretchen Rubin
  • Narrated by: Gretchen Rubin
  • Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (158 ratings)

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The Four Tendencies

By: Gretchen Rubin
Narrated by: Gretchen Rubin
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Publisher's Summary

From the internationally best-selling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before.

How to understand yourself and everyone else, too.

In Gretchen Rubin's practical and authoritative examination, The Four Tendencies, the best-selling author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project identifies the four personality types that motivate everything we do.

When writing about habits for her last book, Gretchen Rubin stumbled on the biggest discovery of her life - the Four Tendencies. The tendencies describe how a person responds to motivation and how that affects family dynamics, happiness, work, and organisations. Investigating the Four Tendencies quickly became the most challenging and important project Gretchen had ever embarked upon.

A pleasurable listen that also serves as an authoritative reference on a breakthrough personality framework, The Four Tendencies identifies the qualities of Upholders, Questioners, Obligers and Rebels, examining each in depth while also discussing how it interacts with the world.

For listeners this audiobook provides a self-assessment that will empower them to change their actions, overcome stubborn hurdles and improve relationships. When applied to a family, team or work setting, the framework unlocks tension so leaders can be effective and groups can be productive.

For years Gretchen Rubin has encouraged listeners to be their best selves. The Four Tendencies, infused with Gretchen's optimistic spirit and sharp observations, will help them make their lives happier, healthier, more productive and more creative.

©2017 Gretchen Rubin (P)2017 John Murray Press

What listeners say about The Four Tendencies

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Never Enough Gretchen!

Always well read, written and useful. I always find myself wishing the books went for longer. Only took me 2 days to get through this one :(

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Good hypothesis. Didn't ring true for me.

Perhaps useful for more clear cut types. It seemed a revelation for the author but it's a simplistic way to categorise people from my point of view.

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a fresh lens for understanding self and others

I really enjoyed Rubin's take on the four main drivers of human behaviour. It has given me another lens to look through when I'm trying to understand and influence the behaviour of others, and an enhanced understanding of my own behaviour: the good, the not so great, and the downright frustrating aspects of it.
I listened at 1.2 speed, which is an unusual choice for me - I usually prefer natural sounding voices at regular speed - however Rubin's spoken delivery is a little laboured.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Communication facilitator

I've listened to this book with great interest and amusement. It not only contains the theory behind each tendency but also practical examples that make it easy to identify other people's response to expectations this helping to improve family, work and social relationships and communication in general. I agree with the author: if you how to speak to each tendency the chances to succeed become immediately higher!

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A great guide for influence and self discovery

Great insight for me about my upholder self and why relationships with others can frustrate me. I wish I knew this at 20. Thanks for another helpful book Gretchen

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how best to navigate other people and yourself

Compelling and fascinating information about why we do the things we do. Full of insight, great examples and practical tips. Really good tool for dealing with life, in all its guises.

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Very interesting

Very interesting, I had never heard of this before. I will definitely listen to this again.

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excellent book

Love it!
explains so much and allows you to u understand ways to deal with other types

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Good structure and content

Loved this book. The ideas have helped me understand myself and my family much better. I look forward to using this framework in the future. Thanks Gretchen!

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Fascinating Insight into self and others!

I found myself laughing out loud as she described me to a tee! I actually went back and listened to my section over again, as it helped me understand myself so much better, and made clear why I've had challenges in different relationships or jobs. Great book - highly recommend

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