How We Decide

This book is about how human mind make decisions and how we can make better decisions. Following is the high level summary. Sometimes we need to think through the options we have and sometimes we need to listen to our emotions. The secret is to know when to use these different styles of thought. Reason and feelings have important strengths and weakness. Different situations require different strategies. How we decide should depend on what we are deciding. Our reasoning is like the charioteer and our emotions are the horses. People have disparaged the emotional brain, blaming our feelings for our mistakes. Emotions are crucial part of decision making. A brain that can't feel can't make up its mind. Since Plato we have been assured that a perfectly rational world would be perfect world. This is not true. The reality of the brain is that, sometimes, rationality can lead us astray. Choking is one of the example of the havoc that can be caused by too much thought. It's an illustration of rationality gone awry. One of the problem with feeling is that even when they are accurate, they can still be hard to articulate. Instead of going with the option that feels the best, a person starts going with the option that sounds the best, even if it's a bad idea. When we overthink at the wrong moment, we cut ourselves from the wisdom of our emotions. The worst decisions happen when the emotions are silent or overwhelming. In order to make the right decisions, the mind needs emotional input. The emotional input needs to exists in dialogue with the rational analysis. People in good mood are significantly better at solving hard problems that require insight than people who are cranky. This is because the brain areas associate with the executive control are preoccupied with managing the emotional life and it's hard for the executive control to focus on the problem. The reason our emotions are intelligent is that they've managed to turn mistakes into educational events. We are constantly benefitting from our experience, even though we are not conciosulsy aware of the benefits. Becoming an expert takes time and practice. Once we've developed expertise with requisite mistakes,it's important to trust our emotions when making decisions in that domain. It's feelings that capture the wisdom of experience. Cover......Page 1 Title page......Page 7 Copyright page......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Introduction......Page 15 1 The Quarterback in the Pocket [1]......Page 23 1......Page 26 2......Page 31 3......Page 35 4......Page 41 2 The Predictions of Dopamine [28]......Page 50 1......Page 56 2......Page 64 3......Page 71 3 Fooled by a Feeling [57]......Page 79 1......Page 84 2......Page 92 3......Page 104 4 The Uses of Reason [93]......Page 115 1......Page 119 2......Page 127 3......Page 138 4......Page 149 5 Choking on Thought [133]......Page 155 1......Page 163 2......Page 172 3......Page 177 6 The Moral Mind [167]......Page 189 1......Page 190 2......Page 197 3......Page 202 4......Page 210 7 The Brain Is an Argument [196]......Page 218 1......Page 225 2......Page 232 8 The Poker Hand [219]......Page 241 1......Page 251 2......Page 254 3......Page 260 4......Page 265 Simple Problems Require Reason......Page 266 Novel Problems Also Require Reason......Page 268 Embrace Uncertainty......Page 269 You Know More Than You Know......Page 270 Think About Thinking......Page 271 Coda [251]......Page 273 Acknowledgments [263]......Page 285 1 The Quarterback in the Pocket......Page 288 2 The Predictions of Dopamine......Page 289 3 Fooled by a Feeling......Page 290 4 The Uses of Reason......Page 291 5 Choking on Thought......Page 292 6 The Moral Mind......Page 293 7 The Brain Is an Argument......Page 294 Coda......Page 295 A......Page 296 B......Page 297 C......Page 298 D......Page 299 G......Page 300 J......Page 302 L......Page 303 M......Page 304 O......Page 305 S......Page 306 W......Page 308 Z......Page 309 A......Page 310 B......Page 311 C......Page 312 D......Page 313 E......Page 315 G......Page 316 K......Page 317 M......Page 318 O......Page 319 P......Page 320 R......Page 321 S......Page 322 U......Page 323 Z......Page 324 The first book to use the unexpected discoveries of neuroscience to help us make the best decisions. Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we blink and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the minds black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, theyre discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reasonand the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, its best to let our unconscious mull over the many variables. But when were picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools we need, drawing on cutting-edge research as well as the real-world experiences of a wide range of decidersfrom airplane pilots and hedge fund investors to serial killers and poker players. Lehrer shows how people are taking advantage of the new science to make better television shows, win more football games, and improve military intelligence. His goal is to answer two questions that are of interest to just about anyone, from CEOs to firefighters: How does the human mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better? Since Plato, philosophers have described the decision-making process as either rational or emotional: we carefully deliberate, or we "blink" and go with our gut. But as scientists break open the mind's black box with the latest tools of neuroscience, they're discovering that this is not how the mind works. Our best decisions are a finely tuned blend of both feeling and reason- and the precise mix depends on the situation. When buying a house, for example, it's best to let our unconscience mull over the many variables. But when we are picking a stock, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to use the different parts of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think. This book offers a fascinating look at the new science of decision-making--and how it can help us make better choices.-- Book jacket Social psychology is one of my favorite subjects, and why and what people do what they do is endlessly fascinating. This is an excellent entry into the field: witty, accessible, and (with a couple of exceptions) not overstated; it is everything a lay psychology book should be. Some, but not all, of the tendencies described will be familiar to anyone who has heard of Amos Tversky, but the twist here is the neuroscience that is included. Even familiar social psychological tendencies are newly explained with brain imaging studies that add to our understanding. One problem I have with psychology books is remembering the things I've learned moments after I've learned them. In his final chapter, Lehrer includes a helpful taxonomy of what he has covered, that eases this difficulty -- at least to the end of the book. Offers A Fascinating Look At The New Science Of Decision-making--and How It Can Help Us Make Better Choices. Introduction -- The Quarterback In The Pocket -- The Predictions Of Dopamine -- Fooled By A Feeling -- The Uses Of Reason -- Choking On Thought -- The Moral Mind -- The Brain Is An Argument -- The Poker Hand -- Coda. Jonah Lehrer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [274]-287) And Index. How We Decide provides insight into how people make decisions. The book approaches this question from a scientific perspective, and uses real world examples to help the reader understand.