Whether you want to climb the career ladder or run your own business, you might be wondering what is the key to success. You might be looking for a secret recipe that might put you one step ahead of the competition.

While the answer might be much more complex than you expect, psychology experts can teach you a thing or two. Here is a list of 5 bestselling books giving actionable advice on how to become an extraordinary communicator that is invaluable to every business.

1. Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People 

All of us want to be liked by people and seek to build connections with them. Behavior researcher Vanessa Van Edwards offers a science-backed manual on how to captivate anyone you meet. According to the author, the first few seconds of meeting new people are crucial. That is when people will decide whether they trust you or not.

So, it is important to learn how to read faces and engage in conversations that generate the pleasure hormone dopamine in listeners. Following Edwards` practical tips, you can learn just that and much more when it comes to human behavior.

2. Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World

Remember your school years? You might have been among the “popular” teens or you might still be having nightmares when thinking about that period of your life. In any way, each of us remembers its status in the school hierarchy and exactly how it made us feel at the time.

It seems like popularity is part of our development as people. On an unconscious level, popularity still affects our personal and business relationships, as well as our overall happiness. The Popular`s author, Dr.Mitch Prinstein argues that anyone can learn to be more likable using the powerful tools of psychology and neuroscience. Ultimately, this may help us establish more meaningful relationships with the people around us.

3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Do you constantly get rejections? Are you feeling like a pushover? Then, this bestselling book should definitely be on top of your reading list.

The book`s author, Dr. Robert Cialdini, is an expert in the field of influence and persuasion who has spent 35 years in evidence-based research on the subject. His experience helped him outline six universal principles that will help you become more authoritative and persuasive. Maybe you need no more persuasion to become a better version of yourself.

4. Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

Daniel Goleman became internationally popular for its previous book Emotional Intelligence that stayed on the New York Times bestselling list for over a year. Now Goleman use his knowledge in biology and brain science to explore the impact of our relationships. In everyday life, we constantly interact with our partners, children, bosses, co-workers, and friends, among others. Therefore, it is important to be aware of how these interactions impact us.

Goleman utilizes scientific facts in an effort answer some fundamentally elusive questions like:

• Is there a way to raise our children to be happy?
• What is the basis of a nourishing marriage?
• How can business leaders and teachers inspire the best in those they lead and teach?
• How can groups divided by prejudice and hatred come to live together in peace?

The answers he finds might not only surprise you but also change your life.

5. The Art Of Saying NO: How To Stand Your Ground, Reclaim Your Time And Energy, And Refuse To Be Taken For Granted

Hopefully, the list above helps us to learn how to interact with people in a persuasive way. However, many of us keep saying “yes”, when we know we really want to say “no”. The bestselling author Damon Zahariade promises to help you learn how to set boundaries and build personal authority. Most importantly, his book claims it can teach you how to make the others respect your boundaries.

Imagine being able to turn down requests that drag you down or make you unhappy. Imagine doing it with confidence and self-respect, whereas inspiring the respect of the others. If this sounds like a thing you want to learn, be sure to check out Zahariades` practical guide on saying “no”.

On a final note, don`t say “no” to psychological wisdom. Sometimes it`s good to turn to your inner self and work on its improvement. In turn, this may help you become a better leader, employee, or entrepreneur. And more importantly, a better and happier person.

Is there something missing in the list? Be sure to add your favorites in the comments 🙂