The Quantified Society

How our obsession with performance measurement shapes the world we live in

Grades, step counters, KPIs, ratings, review scores: every day we attempt to get a grip on the world we live in by measuring it. Students are as good as their average grade, employees have to achieve SMART goals, and doctors receive patient satisfaction ratings. We compare our scores with those of others and create rankings of the most productive colleagues, the best universities, and the sportiest friends.

Berend van der Kolk shows what quantification does to us and our society. We raise the bar, the pressure to perform increases, and we lose sight of what really matters. When do the costs of metrics outweigh the benefits? And is there a way out? In a journey through hospitals, schools, banks, self-trackers, economists, philosophers, and motivational psychologists, The Quantified Society seeks to answer these questions.