Surrounded by Idiots
What began as a bestselling book has grown into a global movement.
You’re Surrounded by Human Behavior You Haven’t Understood
Surrounded by Idiots is now a complete ecosystem of books, knowledge, tools and experiences built for anyone who works with, lives with, or leads other human beings.
It is a world of color-coded clarity in the chaos of everyday interaction and an open invitation to step inside and grow.
Millions of people use Surrounded by Idiots to decode themselves and the people around, increasing their insights into behavior and communication.
The key is knowing your color – Red, Yellow, Green and Blue?
Take the official Surrounded by Idiots DISC personality analysis today
You cannot change somebody else, but you can change yourself
What began as a bestselling book has grown into a global movement. Surrounded by Idiots has helped millions decode themselves and the people around them through insights into behaviour and communication.
Today, Surrounded by Idiots is a complete ecosystem of knowledge, tools, and experiences built for anyone who works with, lives with, or leads other human beings. It is a world of color-coded clarity in the chaos of everyday interaction and an open invitation to step inside and grow.
Explore the Idiot-verse
- A powerful and updated DISC-based personality assessment
- A growing library of online courses and digital trainings
- Live lectures and events that transform teams and leaders
- And of course, the internationally bestselling book series, now in over 70 languages
Every part of this ecosystem is built on a single belief:
You cannot change somebody else, but you can change yourself.
The Surrounded by Idiots Series
7 books in the series – By author Thomas Erikson.
You cannot change somebody else, but you can change yourself.
Surrounded by Idiots has helped millions decode themselves and the people around them through insights into behaviour and communication.
With over twelve million books sold…
…and translated into more than seventy languages, and with thousands of lectures delivered to leaders and organizations around the world, Thomas is Sweden’s most translated living author.
He is also the creator of the ecosystem and insights that underpins this entire platform and the global community surrounding the Idiot-verse.
Take the DISC Assessment
Understand how you respond to the people around you, and how they respond to you.
You will receive a detailed 25-page report that will reflect your balance across the four DISC types – Dominance, Influence, Stability and Compliance. Or, the four colours red, yellow, green and blue – if you prefer those.
The Surrounded by Idiots Brief
Every Wednesday, the latest issue is sent to you. Each message includes an aha-moment and possibly an oh no-moment about human interaction, and one example of behaviour for you to reflect upon.
No spam. No fluff. Just the highest quality input about how to better get along with everyone.
- When two Yellows collide… 🟡 February 11th, 2026
- Don’t talk to people like you’re writing a policy update February 4th, 2026
- More screens, less attention: the cost of constant multitasking January 28th, 2026
Meet Thomas Erikson
Founder of the Idiot-verse
Thomas Erikson is an internationally recognized behaviourist, keynote speaker, and the author behind the Surrounded by series. His latest book is Surrounded by Liars, published in 2024.
With over twelve million books sold and translated into more than seventy languages, and with thousands of lectures delivered to leaders and organizations around the world, Thomas is Sweden’s most translated living author. He is also the creator of the ecosystem and insights that underpins this entire platform and the global community surrounding the Idiot-verse.
The Numbers
- Over 12,000,000 books sold
- Translated into more than 70 languages
- Over 120 lectures delivered every year
- More than 5000 leaders coached
















