What do readers think of How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer? Write your own review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this readable, practical book on decision making. By using the latest information from neuroscience and the most recent experiments in this field, Lehrer shows how a person can make better decisions from selecting breakfast cereals and jam to purchasing cars and homes. He even offers the reader hope that mistakes we make today can help us make better choices tomorrow because the brain "can always improve itself."

How We Decide would appeal to anyone who would like to become more conscious about making 'smarter ' choices. Educators, parents and anyone who wants to master a skill and 'learn how to learn' would find How We Decide particularly useful.

Jonah Lehrer shows how our brains can fool and misguide us but, by following his advice, we can lead more productive and satisfying lives. In fact, by buying this book and absorbing the author's suggestions about how to focus our thoughts, one can actually save money!

By using psychological and neuroscience studies as well as examples about and interviews with people who make decisions, Mr. Lehrer has produced a fascinating book about how we make our own decisions. The book opens with a pilot steering a plane (actually a simulator) to land after an engine catches fire (so timely with the landing in the Hudson). He also includes a study of the pilot of the plane which landed in Iowa a number of years ago. Although at times the science is a bit deep for the casual reader, all in all it is a very accessible and interesting study. Did you, as a reader, ever know what it takes to decide what strawberry jam to purchase or why a poker player folds or holds? The long bibliography and notes add to his study for the reader wanting more details.

I found this book very interesting and informative. Lehrer cites scientific experiments which show the part of the brain used when making rational decisions versus emotional decisions as well as the parts affected by dementia, Alzheimer's, autism and trauma, etc. It's written in language that a layperson can understand. I would recommend it for those who want a better understanding of these conditions. We have friends who have autism and dementia in their family. It helped me to better understand the problems that they must face.

All in all I liked this book but I do have a couple of criticisms. First of all, the author misused the term "negative reinforcement" -- it does NOT mean the same thing as punishment! The other thing that I found annoying was that he used the terms brain and mind as if they were interchangeable, which they are not. The brain is, of course, an anatomical structure, while "mind" is a convenient construct we use when talking about consciousness. These criticisms aside, I find the author's contention that we need to use both rational thought and emotional reaction when we are making decisions a compelling one. I particularly liked his use of real-life anecdotes to illustrate what might otherwise have been dry, textbook-ish examples.

If my science class had been as interesting as "How We Decide", I would have been more likely to consider a career as a scientist. The book has a heavyweight bibliography, extensive technical references and descriptions of brain parts that I will hopefully never have to pronounce, but is in no way a tedious read.

The simple message is to think about thinking, and explains why using examples of people who make or have made different types of decisions. We do make many different types of decisions all of the time and use different parts of the brain for these decisions.

I know I will remember the lessons from this book the next time I find myself ready to make an important decision in my life, so that I can better sort out the various voices in my head ... and think about why I am feeling what I am feeling.

I enjoyed how the author used commonly known sports figures and stories to show the process of how people make decisions. And it is truly amazing how complex and involved the process is, with past experiences, emotions and morality all playing a role. This book is definitely worth reading and geared to the average person, not just those with scientific backgrounds.

This book was extremely interesting. Most people think that they truly control all their decision making abilities, but in essence many times those decisions are so quick that it's truly an internal process. It's almost inexplainable yet there's a real scientific reason for it.

I thought that it was either your emotional side taking control or your rational side controlling your decisions but there's so much more to the entire process.

The book describes how athletes make split second without even realizing it to win a game. The decision is almost intuitive. I thought this discussion to be extremely fascinating. Being in a competitive job environment, I now see how the decisions I make impact the sales that attain and the ones I lose.

Mr. Lehrer's storytelling though not fictional flows so well and is so interesting that you truly want to know how people in all walks of life and ages make decisions and how you can learn to make better one.

In these uncertain times, this book is certainly one that people who'd like to gain insight into their own processes would benefit from reading.

This is one of those books that you sort of have to force yourself to read. Then after you are done, you are glad you read it, but would not read it again. I think it is well written, with plenty of examples to illustrate his points. I think it is similar to Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.

I wish it were an audio book. Perhaps the reason I prefer listening to a book, rather than reading it, will be the subject of Mr. Lehrer’s next book.