Decided on
How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer, in part because of the Altruism thread here.
Various arenas such as athletics, finance, or combat illustrate Lehrer’s popular presentation of the neurobiology of decision making. Noting the traditional distinction between reason and emotion, Lehrer (Proust Was a Neuroscientist, 2007) readably impresses the point that emotion triggers quick decisions where time is critical, such as whether a quarterback should throw a pass or whether an officer should fire a missile at an unidentified target. Their real-life stories of how a good feeling committed them to action leads Lehrer into the anatomical substrates in play. Touching on the brain’s outer layer, the cortex, the neurochemical dopamine, and regions such as the amygdala, Lehrer describes what cognitive scientists think happens at a neural level. What about situations where time is less pressing and seems to allow rationality space to operate? Lehrer relates reason’s limitations, which bamboozle users of credit cards, patrons of casinos, and players of the TV game show Deal or No Deal. Despair not, however, that Lehrer chains people to their emotions: his tips about understanding their role in decisions provide reassuring conclusions. --Gilbert Taylor
