How We Decide

Found this in the "fast reads" section of the library right after listening to the Moral of the Story show on CBC ideas, which also discussed parts of the brain involved in making moral decisions. There is one chapter on that in this book. The book simplifies brain science, and if I may further oversimplify, there are basically two ways to evaluate the world and then make decisions: rationally, and emotionally. But despite many centuries of honoring the rational and denigrating the emotional sides, making decisions entirely using the rational parts of your brain is often a terrible idea.

I really like a number of quotes and analogies in this book, and being exposed to new ideas and research:
"Anyone can become angry - that is easy," show more Aristotle wrote. "But to become angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not easy." That requires some thought.
Dacher Keltner, talking about how people with power who become socially isolated: "The experience of power might be thought of as having someone open up your skull and take out that part of your brain so critical to empathy and socially appropriate behavior. You become very impulsive and insensitive, which is a bad combination."
On the importance of dissenting opinions and ideas (in decision-making) he quotes Alfred P Sloan, then chairman of General Motors, adjourning a board meeting soon after it began: "Gentlemen, I take it we are all in complete agreement on the decision here... Then I propose we postpone further discussion of this matter until our next meeting to give ourselves time to develop disagreement and perhaps gain some understanding of what the decision is all about."

Unfortunately (but perhaps realistically given the nature of the science) there is only a bit of concrete help in this book on how to make better decisions.

Highly recommended to non-fiction readers. show less

To say that this book is essential, is putting a great deal of pressure on a slim volume. But if you need a book that can really tell you how to lead a better, happier life, this book is much closer to the mark than all the books filled with cheerful aphorisms.

With the use of fMRI machines, brain scientists can see directly what parts of our brains are active while people are contemplating different puzzles. It is not the simple dichotomy of emotion and reason, but many different systems, such as face recognition subroutines, that form the decision making part of the brain. The best use of the brain's power is knowing when the analytical part needs to be in control (such as calculating the worth of a hand of cards in poker) and when the show more emotional part needs to be in control (telling when another poker player is bluffing). But it is not enough to know when to rely on reason or instinct. Your instinct is best guided by years of unconscious observation. And your reason should be guided by knowing (and being honest about) the parameters that lead you to a decision. Good decisions come from analyzing past mistakes. If we know the errors that human brains are prone to (loss aversion and certainty rewards), we can better allow for these simple mental biases. If we conscientiously watch how our mind works, we can come to better conclusions that will make us happier. show less

A look at the physiological and psychological process of decision making, from the simple to the complex. Replete with examples, and well written, this book is thought provoking as well as highly engaging and almost impossible to put down. While I may not make better decisions for having read this book, at least I have a better understanding of how - and why - I make the decisions I do. I've passed this book along to two people already, who have also both loved it. Well recommended.

As Ginger Campbell of Brain Science Podcast would say, this book is for everyone who has a brain. It's easy to read and provides many real life examples and situations, exposing what we know now about how the brain works, as opposed to what has been supposed for all time. Fascinating, well written, and a good introduction to the subject matter. The book might just make you see a new perspective regarding some things about yourself or others.

Lest you think this book is dry based on my review or any others, banish that idea. It's about life, not just your brain. You'll learn why some groups of people will never be different than they are. That alone is worth knowing.

I had low expectations for this book because I read so many already in this genre. And Jonah Lehrer touched on many of well-traveled ideas and including what I find a well-traveled and boring discussion of MRI and brain activity.

But there were enough new material for me to ponder over. Like, how kids do better over time with the compliment of "You worked hard" over "You are smart" and a whole different take on the definition of a psychopath.

He ties together stories of Tom Brady, an airline pilot who landed a plane without hydraulics, and a smokejumper who survived a blaze by an unorthodox strategy. It could make you think ... and learn to think better by thinking less! Or more depending on the circumstances.

This is a good attempt at explaining why we decide to do the things we do, and how some people seem to be able to make the right decisions and how some people don't. It covered the scientific research in terms that non-medical people can understand without oversimplifying. What I found most interesting were the examples of individuals who managed to conquer the fear of crashing a plane or being burnt by a raging fire, to think of a way to save themselves and at times, people with them. What I didn't enjoy about the book were the descriptions of scientific experiments on monkeys. It was factually presented, but they still made me cringe and I found myself muttering that the scientists should conduct the same brain experiments on their show more own families instead of innocent monkeys. I understand why they did it, but I still didn't like reading about it.

I'm wondering though, if knowing how I make decisions, will now allow me to consciously change the way I think before I make major decisions or even some minor ones. show less

I have mixed feelings about this volume. On one hand, there were sections where I was really enjoying the text and making some notes for myself. On the other, there were yawning chasms of text that seemed formulaic and hardly new. I also had to contend with consecutive chapters that seemed to contradict one another (don't listen to your rational, prefrontal cortex - no wait, do listen). And maybe that was a central point, but I began begging the author to throw me a bone and put some semblance of a framework around all of the studies and examples. Eventually, he did a little of that in the last chapter - giving me a handful of guidelines for how to think about thinking and making decisions.

The book is very readable, and there is more show more than a kernel of interesting information here. But overall I still find it lacking in the "make sense of it all" department. show less