Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behaviour and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life)

Paperback Published on: 28/08/2025
Price: £10.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Surrounded by Idiots
Must Read For 2024
Absolutely fascinating! This book will help you explore the four different personality types in everyday life. (Red, Yellow, Green and Blue. Yes, I’ve st... READ MORE
Sam at St Albans
Surrounded by Idiots
No way of understanding people is foolproof.
This is going to be a short review. It's a book that can really help you conceptualise how people think and interact with the world. No way of understan... READ MORE
Jen
Surrounded by Idiots
An interesting insight into behaviour and teams.
This is one of those books, that you may have heard of, must have seen, possibly not read the blurb of, unyet it may be somewhere in your consciousness. T... READ MORE
Kate Morton at Ayr

Synopsis

The runaway international bestseller– now fully revised and updated

  • Do you ever think you're the only one making any sense?

  • Have you ever tried to reason with your partner with disastrous results?

  • Does your colleague's manner of communication always get your back up?

You are not alone. In Surrounded by Idiots, communication expert and bestselling author Thomas Erikson has dedicated himself to understanding how people function and why we struggle to connect with certain types of people. Now a global bestseller, this book uses four core personality types – Red, Yellow, Green and Blue – to explain other people’s baffling behaviour and help you understand yourself better. You will learn to hone communication and social skills based on who you’re dealing with, handle conflict with confidence and get the best out of everyone you interact with and manage.

Now offering you the wisdom of the four personality types with even more verve and insight, this fully revised and expanded edition brings you a completely new and up-to-date translation, and marks a global moment for fans of Thomas Erikson’s books. This updated and enhanced edition has used questions and feedback from Thomas’s more than 10 million global readers to bring you 30% more material than before, honing this classic, comprehensive toolkit to new heights.

Packed with 'aha!' and 'oh no!' moments, Surrounded by Idiots will help you understand and influence those around you, even people you currently think are beyond all comprehension. And with a bit of luck, you can also be confident that the idiot out there isn't you!

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Ebury Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781785046209
  • Number of pages: 400
  • Dimensions: 198 x 131 x 25 mm
  • Weight: 286g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

View all
Surrounded by Idiots
Better than expected
I was curious about the book but didn't expect very much. To my surprise it caught my attention right from the beginning. It is clear and easy to underst... READ MORE
Gudrun Berry
Surrounded by Idiots
Interesting read
It is quite a detailed and technical book, which I enjoyed. There may have been some tiny mind blowing discoveries but mostly, it is a common knowledge sho... READ MORE
Kate
Surrounded by Idiots
interesting read
Hi a very interesting read
Michele Prescott
Surrounded by Idiots
Good read but..
Good read but even as a guy I didn’t like how the author kept using “he, him, his”. I would have lost interest if I was a female.
Abiola Ifaloye
Surrounded by Idiots
Insight and affirmation of your gut feelings in one book
Cracking read and something I will be returning to again and again for reference. I defy anyone not to read this and have people they know pop into their h... READ MORE
Jacqueline Broddell
Surrounded by Idiots
PEOPLE WATCHING
A very interesting read which makes the whole idea of people watching a great deal more fun
MELODY SLADE
Surrounded by Idiots
Validating and interesting
Really interesting book, opened my eyes to why people act so differently to myself and why I feel I may struggle to (successfully) interact with certain in... READ MORE
Chloe Dixon
Surrounded by Idiots
Would give 0 stars if possible.
Written by a self-proclaimed behavioural specialist who shows no basic understanding of psychology whatsoever. He writes about people as if they behave lik... READ MORE
Shasta Stephens
Surrounded by Idiots
Everyone should read this book
Honestly this booked helped me a lot to understand people around me. Have struggled to get my point across many times.. turns out I am a lot of "red and bl... READ MORE
karen savegnago
Surrounded by Idiots
Usefool tool
I found this a very interesting book, written in a entertaining way. I already read it, and I will apply it to my personal and professional relationships.
Leonela Mendes
Surrounded by Idiots
Entertaining and illuminating
Surrounded by Idiots communicates a personality analysis framework that has been honed over time and is based broadly on individuals being categorised as o... READ MORE
Nick A
Surrounded by Idiots
Interesting but a hard read
This book is really fascinating although, as a typical red I did think it was too long, it could be snappier. It’s very useful for work environments, hopef... READ MORE
Lorna Taverner
Surrounded by Idiots
Judging a book by it's cover !?
Oh dear. Where to start with this book? The front cover maybe! It is telling me that 'over 10 million copies have been sold'. Thus disproving the saying ne... READ MORE
Simon W
Surrounded by Idiots
good read
I loved reading the book.It’s interesting to review 4 personality types, and not talk about 16 different ones.It definitely helped me see that people perce... READ MORE
Frizzle
Surrounded by Idiots
lacking nuance
Over generalised and does not take into account different neuro-types and mental health conditions. This book feels like a horror scope or buzz feed quiz t... READ MORE
Erin Pavey