decision making Book Summaries

"Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely explores the hidden forces that shape our decisions, demonstrating through a series of experiments and insights that humans do not always act rationally. Ariely delves into behavioral economics to explain why people often make irrational choices in their daily lives and how these choices affect consumer behavior.

Fooled by Randomness is full of ideas for finance and investing that go against what most people practice. Taleb says randomness controls our lives more than we think, but we can learn tools to protect against life's uncertainty.

Thinking, Fast and Slow explains how people make decisions using two mental systems: "fast" thinking is instinctive and emotional, while "slow" thinking is deliberate and logical. Daniel Kahneman helps us understand our when our mind fall into common biases and irrational shortcuts, so we can make better decisions in the future.

The Black Swan is about understanding unpredictable extreme events like the 9/11 attacks, rise of the internet, and stock market crashes. Nassim Taleb says we are unprepared for the next big event like this because we rely too much on incomplete theories, limited models and flimsy historical narratives.

Behave explains why humans behave the way we do. Sapolsky breaks down complex science into enjoyable explanations, beginning at the level of our brains, then diving into hormones, genes, evolution and even culture and history. By the end, you'll be questioning many long-held assumptions about how much we control ourselves.