Book Review : How We Decide

How We Decide is written by Jonah Lehrer, an editor/writer.

It is a good book, especially for people who wish to learn how to make better decisions.

I will attempt to list some interesting points that I read from the book. Read the book if you wish to make better decisions.

Some interesting points:

1) We have two parallel brains: the emotional brain and the rational brain.

2) The emotional brain makes decisions very fast but its accuracy depends on experience. Situations that require fast decisions would need the emotional brain. Emotional brain is better than rational brain for repetitive situations, as emotional brain recognizes patterns faster than the rational brain.

3) The rational brain is useful in new situations or situations where time is not a factor.

4) Also, always run a rational check on emotional decisions if time permits. This will help to reduce errors.

5) To make the decisions more accurate, one has to spend time to evaluate the decisions, aka spot mistakes in previous decisions.

6) Don't forget that we have blind spots.

7) It will be good to list down the knowns and the unknowns before coming to the decision.

8) Whenever you make a decision, be aware of the type of decision you are making and the kind of thought process it requires.