Magic Words
Jonah Berger (2023)
The questions it was named for
Each of these is a question a reader might ask an AI assistant, written from the subject of the book without reference to its title. The books listed underneath are the ones named in the same answer.
what are the best books about the psychology of persuasive language
Named at position 3
- 1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
- 2. Pre-Suasion - Robert Cialdini
- 3. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
- 4. Words That Work - Frank Luntz
- 5. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
I want to learn how the specific words I choose change how people respond to me - what should I read
Named at position 1
- 1. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
- 2. Words That Work - Frank Luntz
- 3. Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves - Alison Wood Brooks
- 4. Pre-Suasion - Robert Cialdini
- 5. Metaphors We Live By - George Lakoff and Mark Johnson
book recommendations for someone who freezes up in job interviews and says the wrong thing
Named at position 5
- 1. Choke - Sian Beilock
- 2. The Charisma Myth - Olivia Fox Cabane
- 3. Performing Under Pressure - Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry
- 4. Presence - Amy Cuddy
- 5. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
is there a science-backed book on how to phrase things so people say yes
Named at position 3
- 1. Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive - Noah Goldstein, Steve Martin and Robert Cialdini
- 2. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
- 3. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
- 4. Pre-Suasion - Robert Cialdini
looking for a communication book based on actual research rather than one guy's opinions
Named at position 2
- 1. Supercommunicators - Charles Duhigg
- 2. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
- 3. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
- 4. Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves - Alison Wood Brooks
- 5. Crucial Conversations - Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
which books explain how small changes in wording affect confidence, sales and negotiations
Named at position 1
- 1. Magic Words - Jonah Berger
- 2. Pre-Suasion - Robert Cialdini
- 3. Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
- 4. Words That Work - Frank Luntz
- 5. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert Cialdini
What this measures
This is one reading, taken on 2026-07-30, of whether an AI assistant names this book when asked about its subject. It is not a judgement of the book. It measures how present the book is in what the assistant has read.
Across all 100 books we tested, the average was 51% and 23 were never named at all. See the full index.