When faced with a tough situation, do you walk away? Or do you press on?

Most of us are inclined to stay the course. After all, quitting — especially in American culture — is seen as a character defect.

But Annie Duke thinks that’s wrong. Her new book, “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away,” is a guidebook for learning how and when to quit. She explores the psychology and social forces that keep us stuck in bad situations for too long — and what we lose when we equate quitting with failure.

Don’t miss MPR News host Kerri Miller’s conversation with Duke, a cognitive behaviorist who learned a thing or two about quitting during her years as a professional poker player on this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.

Guest:

• Annie Duke is an author and a consultant on the behavior of decision making — in addition to being a world-class poker player. Her new book is “Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away.”

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or RSS.

Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.