Gut Feelings

This fascinating book is by a psychologist who studies decision making processes. He argues that we make decisions typically based on simple rules of thumb, and not by the complicated weighing of pros and cons that is usually suggested. In fact, he gives many examples of how simple judgments which we are evolutionarily adapted to make very quickly, can be as accurate or even better for making decisions than much more complicated formulae.

He also gives several great examples of overthinking, when people who interrupt their natural process of gut intuition with rational thought decline in performance.

It's a good book. A very interesting read, with lots of fascinating examples explained in a very clear way. I do feel like the book needs a counterbalance - not against the truth of the argument, but about how good it is that we use intuition to decide things. The Science of Fear is a book all about how we use rules of thumb to make intuitive judgments, and how they lead us astray, or allow people with selfish motives to manipulate us into acting against our best interests.

Either way, it's interesting and useful to know more about our unconscious processes of decision making. But no book has been written yet that perfectly balances the story about this feature of ourselves.