The Turn-On: How the Powerful Make Us Like Them-from Washington to Wall Street to Hollywood

As a former producer on Oprah and campaign manager for politicians, Steven Goldstein has spent a lot of time thinking about the likability of public figures. How do we arrive at our emotional judgments on whether we like public when they are not part of our personal worlds? Why do we find Betty White delightful and why do so many people hate Gwyneth Paltrow? Goldstein has created a system for determining likability and introduces readers to the people whose job it is to create the perception of likability. Goldstein’s eight traits of likability, sorted into four pairs that build upon each other: Captivation and Hope Authenticity and Relatability Protectiveness and Reliability Perceptiveness and Compassion But likability isn’t just something that you have or you don’t. Goldstein discusses the machine behind creating likability, including the evaluators (celebrity Q scores) and trainers (who turn C- celebrities into B+ celebrities). Using pop culture references and anecdotes about celebrities and business leaders, Goldstein deconstructs likability showing how likability differs across gendered and racial lines. THE TURN ON will make you think twice about a perfectly crafted speech or a celebrity reinvention and will give you a few tools to take control of your own likability. Read Less