How We Decide

How We Decide, by Jonah Lehrer, is a response to Malcolm Gladwell's popular book Blink. Other book responses exist, but this one consistently gets the best reviews and highest praise. I decided to give it a try.

Lehrer looks into the human mind and how it makes decisions. He uses both individual (very compelling) case studies - like Gladwell - but also discusses psychological studies and makes connections with the functioning of the human brain. The end result is a fascinating study of how humans decide. He argues that there's no one best way - we need to use both rational thought and our emotions, but each strategy is beneficial in different arenas. Yes, sometimes gut impressions (like Gladwell describes) work well when decision-making, but at other times deliberate thought works better yet.

Well-written, scholarly yet accessible, and compelling, How We Decide is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in popular psychology. I could go into more details, but they are better expressed in the book. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

31 books, 125 days...at this rate I'll read 90 books