International Bestseller
Captivate everyone you meet.
Learn the hidden formulas used by the world's most captivating people. Make a powerful first impression, read people accurately and communicate with magnetic charisma.
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“Captivate is Perfect. Packed full of useful information – it’s a must read.”
You need to know how people work.
As a human behavior investigator, Vanessa Van Edwards studies the hidden forces that drive our behavior patterns in her lab—and she's cracked the code.
In Captivate she shares a wealth of valuable shortcuts, systems and behavior hacks for taking charge of your interactions at work, at home and in any social situation. These aren't the people skills you learned in school.
Just like knowing the right formulas to use in chemistry, or the right programming language to write code, the hacks in this book are simple ways to solve for people.
A few of the hacks you'll learn.
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Hack #1
The Social Game Plan
Discover how to work a room and the sweet spot for making the most connections.
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Hack #6
The 7 Microexpressions
Learn how the 7 universal facial expressions can be used to predict people's emotions.
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Hack #3
The Death of Small Talk
All conversations can be hacked by generating dopamine in the people you meet.
Skills you will learn in Captivate
- How to Work a Room
- How to Make a Lasting First Impression
- How to Give the Perfect Handshake
- How to Push Someone's Hot Buttons
- How to Decode The Face
- How to Take the Perfect Selfie
- How to Stop Being Boring
- How to Be a Great Story Teller
- How to Empower People
- How to Be Socially Attractive
- How to Say No
What readers are saying.
“Everything Vanessa does is captivating, but this book is her masterpiece. Nearly every page contains surprising insights and practical tips to help you succeed more in life.”
“In Captivate, Vanessa Van Edwards has not only decoded the secret formula for what makes people tick, she also explains how to harness and put into action that power for good inside your career, company, or cause.”
“There is a big difference between faking your way into building relationships and deeply understanding the science of what makes people tick, so that you can naturally and effectively connect with them. Captivate teaches this science in a fun and accessible way, so that you apply the learning in your everyday life, growing your network, influence and impact.”
Science of People.
Science of People delivers science-backed, actionable social skills strategies for business, life, and love. Founded by Vanessa Van Edwards in 2012, we publish 800+ in-depth articles, hundreds of videos and interviews, quizzes and diagnostics, all designed to help you master the hidden forces that drive human behavior.
- Articles
- 800+
- Newsletter readers
- 800K+
- Video views
- 300M+
“I believe people skills are the missing ingredient to your success. When you know how to pitch yourself, make memorable conversation and build relationships everything becomes easier. PQ is the new IQ.”
Vanessa Van EdwardsBestselling Author, Captivate
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US readers
International readers · 15 editions
PS — Do you like audiobooks? Vanessa reads the audio version of Captivate. Listen on Audible →
Learn the people skills nobody taught you.
Vanessa teaches the full method in People School, across 12 modules, with live workshops in Executive.