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 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 unconscious mull over the many variables. But when we're picking stocks and shares, intuition often leads us astray. The trick is to determine when to lean on which part of the brain, and to do this, we need to think harder (and smarter) about how we think.
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'A tour de force of limpid writing, well-marshalled anecdotes and conclusions that overthrow conventional wisdom. This book could change the way you think about thinking.' Observer
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'Engrossing...gripping...moving...full of fascinating facts. ... Lehrer's on similar territory to Malcolm Gladwell's BLINK and James Surowiecki's THE WISDOM OF CROWDS but more than earns his place on the shelf alongside them.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"The Irrationality of human beings" pop-science/social science market is getting a bit crowded, but this is still a good read
15 April 2010
Format:Hardcover
In recent years, there has been a glut of books like The Decisive Moment hitting the non-fiction market, and many parts of this book felt familiar. Like both Outliers: The Story of Success and Sway The Decisive Moment retells stories of white-knuckle decision-making being made by airline pilots in seriously desperate situations; like Switch many 'classic' social-psychological studies of human behaviour are poured over to illuminate how human beings make irrational choices.
What makes Lehrer's book interesting is his use of neurobiology to really tease out how different parts of the brain contribute towards the decision making process, and while many Critical Psychologists and/or Philosophers of Mind might cringe at his anthropomorphizing of (say) dopamine-expressing neurons, the author certainly brings something different to the table. Other reviewers have caricatured his linkage of mental states with neurological activity, but I found his writing both sober, informative and quite engrossing (he has none of the swagger of say, Steven Pinker, who has covered similar pop-science ground but with a political agenda). Having a somewhat cursory, patchy knowledge of brain anatomy, I didn't find his brain discussions to be too indulgent, although some simple vector drawings of the brain might have helped orientate the reader at different points of the discussion.
The book does end with a somewhat wishy-washy self help chapter on how people can apply these insights to their lives, although it sort of feels like He Man's moral message at the end of the Masters of the Universe cartoon from the eighties- a bit tacked on to appease a certain demographic. If using this stuff for self help is your bag, then you'd do well to check out Brain Rules alongside this, although I think that Lehrer writes slightly better.
On a final note, whoever designed the cover (complete with an embossed rubber "don't press" button) deserves recognition- this is brilliant cover design that really makes the book jump of the shelves.
What makes Lehrer's book interesting is his use of neurobiology to really tease out how different parts of the brain contribute towards the decision making process, and while many Critical Psychologists and/or Philosophers of Mind might cringe at his anthropomorphizing of (say) dopamine-expressing neurons, the author certainly brings something different to the table. Other reviewers have caricatured his linkage of mental states with neurological activity, but I found his writing both sober, informative and quite engrossing (he has none of the swagger of say, Steven Pinker, who has covered similar pop-science ground but with a political agenda). Having a somewhat cursory, patchy knowledge of brain anatomy, I didn't find his brain discussions to be too indulgent, although some simple vector drawings of the brain might have helped orientate the reader at different points of the discussion.
The book does end with a somewhat wishy-washy self help chapter on how people can apply these insights to their lives, although it sort of feels like He Man's moral message at the end of the Masters of the Universe cartoon from the eighties- a bit tacked on to appease a certain demographic. If using this stuff for self help is your bag, then you'd do well to check out Brain Rules alongside this, although I think that Lehrer writes slightly better.
On a final note, whoever designed the cover (complete with an embossed rubber "don't press" button) deserves recognition- this is brilliant cover design that really makes the book jump of the shelves.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you thought you knew how rational and considered were your decisions, this book will blow that myth to pieces. Well researched and with impressive references, and through an insightful use of examples and metaphors, the author identifies the importance of the brains "massively parallel" emotional processing. It also highlights the critical importance of thinking consciously about the methods you use (thought processes you go through) in decision making.
It may be filed under "Popular Psychology" but I believe it has a lot to say to the academic audience. Being effortlessly readable doesn't make it trivial!
It may be filed under "Popular Psychology" but I believe it has a lot to say to the academic audience. Being effortlessly readable doesn't make it trivial!
45 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By Bucky
Format:Hardcover
Much,much better than all these Gladwell and his ilk ,pretensious 'got something to say'books. Really does have something to say and is based firmly in reasearch rather than conjecture. Makes some good points and is easy to read. Lots of books around about cognitive bias and decision making but this is the most accessable I've read for a while.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
You learn something every day
I was recommended this book by someone who is studying the brain in uni. I enjoyed it while I was reading it but have forgotten everything I read since.
Published 3 months ago by bernadette
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really interesting book on how the brain works
I bought this for my daughter to try and help her moderate her pre-exam nerves.
She's a text book example of the 'over-analysing' described in the book and she's said... Read more
She's a text book example of the 'over-analysing' described in the book and she's said... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Saxby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
A great book to introduce the reader to how the brain works and how decisions are made. Incredibly well written with great stories to illustrate various points & I was disappointed... Read more
Published 5 months ago by MB
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book has challenged the way I think, thank you!
I've given the book 5 stars because of the impact it has had on me, and the way I think about things. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dr. Alison J. Mcmillan
5.0 out of 5 stars
brilliant book
This book explores how we make decisions. Fascinating, full of examples, and a great read. I'd recommend it to marketers all over the world as well as those who are interested in... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Peter MJ Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not another self-help book, just a short trip inside your brain
Do not be discouraged by advertising tricks on the cover of the book. Judging by the enthusiastic claims the book seems to promise it will improve your decision making skills which... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mikolaj Pietrzyk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating stuff
After a while, if you read enough popular psychology, behavioural economics, and other similar books you start coming across the same studies being quoted, but that isn't... Read more
Published 12 months ago by A. Skudder
5.0 out of 5 stars
How we work
As good an explanation about the intricasies of the mind as one is likely to read. Expressed, for the most part, in language that the layman can understand. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Terry Rusk
1.0 out of 5 stars
Badly written woolly minded twaddle. Hear Hear.
This terrible book is a mish-mash of anecdote and "just-so" conclusions lacking any rigour. It is extremely misleading to suggest the degree of certainty about brain function that... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2010 by T. Doris
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
The book uses examples and anecdotes to give a clear and readable description of what is likely to be going on in our heads when we weigh up decisions, some of which is quite... Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2010 by E. McLachlan
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