Reviews

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer

booksandcatsgalore's review against another edition

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funny informative

4.0

milandeep's review against another edition

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4.0

It’s my first look inside the brain and I liked what I saw. 'How we Decide' looks at the new science of decision-making and how it can help us in making better choices in our daily lives. Jonah Lehrer shows us the inner workings of the brain. We learn about the different parts of the brain which are involved in the decision-making process, chiefly among them the prefrontal cortex. He explains beautifully about loss aversion, creativity and working memory. I really liked the description of new ideas: “From the perspective of the brain, new ideas are merely several old thoughts that occur at the exact same time.”

This book has really encouraged me to explore the human brain further.

endomental's review against another edition

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4.0

A very interesting explanation of how our brains work in the decision-making process. No, it isn't instinct. And no, it isn't executive function. At least, it isn't an either-or proposition. Instead, it's a carefully balanced combination of both. Like good parents, they work together, providing a good mixture of responsibility and indulgence.

I learned a lot, and the book was engagingly written. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this kind of thing.

kdaddy's review against another edition

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4.0

Picked this up on a whim ($0.99 on Amazon Kindle sale) and really liked it.

matthew_p's review against another edition

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5.0

An excellent written, easy read on the strengths and weaknesses of our emotional brains and rational brains in decision-making, and how they work together in everyday situations. A great read for anyone interesting in how the mind works, as well as anyone interested in reflecting on how their decisions are informed by these two aspects of their brain.

theartolater's review against another edition

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3.0

Pop-science about how our minds work when it comes to making decisions and using reason and such. I learned more from this than I expected to, and a lot of it left me uncomfortable, which isn't bad.

puzzlebound's review against another edition

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3.0

Analyze small decisions and go with your gut for large decisions? So counter-intuitive!

schomj's review against another edition

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4.0

There were more sports stories than I was expecting (or interested in) and some of the animal experimentation stuff was... eesh. But, it was a fast and fun read and I learned new stuff about how the brain works; overall I enjoyed it quite a lot.
(Note: if you're looking for a self-help book about decision-making, this isn't it.)

leafilippi's review against another edition

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4.0

This book recaps the evolution of our neuropsychological understandings of human decision making processes through themed chapaters. There were passages with excess belaboring. And portions that seemed to be somewhat too tightly oriented toward explication of specific studies demonstrating a point (with less emphasis on real world examples in everyday life). Overall it was a quick and relatively entertaining read.

lvfl's review against another edition

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3.0

It was a good introduction to our understanding of decision-making, but his logic had some holes and I wasn't totally sure of his point until the last chapter.