How We Decide (Jonah Lehrer)

The author gives us a suitably complex and nuanced description of the mental processes involved in making decisions about everything from what to eat for breakfast to whether to shoot down an incoming object that might be a friendly pilot or an enemy missile. The basic message is that our brains have two separate but interconnected decision-making systems. The rational system, housed primarily in our oversized, relatively modern frontal lobes, is great at weighing the odds and calculating probabilities. The emotional system, mostly in the lower levels of the brain and honed by millions of years of evolution, is great at making snap decisions about a wealth of fuzzy information. To make the best decisions, we need to know how these two systems operate, how to help them operate most effectively, and  when to turn over control to which system. The examples are numerous and fascinating, and the writing is clear and accessible. Highly recommended for anyone who makes decisions and would like to make them better.