Everyone knows Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. But if you’ve already read that, or are otherwise familiar enough for it to have low marginal benefit, then what could you study to deepen knowledge about decisions? Well, here are a few sources that I’ve found beneficial. To find more, you can check out my resources page!
TED talks
In the modern world, we’re all busy. So if you don’t want to invest tens of hours into books, but just want a quick glimpse with some food for thought, there are of course a few good TED talks around. For example:
Sheena Iyengar: The Art of Choosing
The only well-known scholar so far discussing choice from a multicultural context. Do we all perceive alternatives similarly? Does more choice mean more happiness? With intriguing experiments, Iyengar shows that the answer is: it depends. It depends on the kind of culture you’re from.
Gerd Gigerenzer: The Simple Heuristics that Make Us Smart
Gigerenzer is known as one of the main antagonists of Kahneman. In this talk, he discusses some heuristics and how in his opinion they’re more rational than the classical rationality which we often consider to be the optimal case.
Dan Ariely: Are we in control of our own decisions?
Dan Ariely is a ridiculously funny presenter. For that entertainment value alone, the talk is well worth watching. Additionally, he shows nicely how defaults influence our decisions, and how a complex choice case makes it harder to overcome the status quo bias.
Sheena Iyengar: The Art of Choosing
The only well-known scholar so far discussing choice from a multicultural context. Do we all perceive alternatives similarly? Does more choice mean more happiness? With intriguing experiments, Iyengar shows that the answer is: it depends. It depends on the kind of culture you’re from.
Gerd Gigerenzer: The Simple Heuristics that Make Us Smart
Gigerenzer is known as one of the main antagonists of Kahneman. In this talk, he discusses some heuristics and how in his opinion they’re more rational than the classical rationality which we often consider to be the optimal case.
Dan Ariely: Are we in control of our own decisions?
Dan Ariely is a ridiculously funny presenter. For that entertainment value alone, the talk is well worth watching. Additionally, he shows nicely how defaults influence our decisions, and how a complex choice case makes it harder to overcome the status quo bias.
Books
Even though TED talks are inspiring, nothing beats a proper book! With all their data and sources to dig deeper, any of these books is a good starting point for an inquiry into decisions.
Reid Hastie & Robyn Dawes: Rational Choice in an Uncertain World
For a long time, I was annoyed there doesn’t seem to be a good, non-technical introduction into the field of decision making. Kahneman’s book was too long and focused on his own research. Then I came across this beauty. In just a little over 300 pages, Hastie & Dawes go through all the major findings in behavioral decision making, and also throw in a lesson or two about causality and values. Definitely worth a read if you haven’t gotten into decision making before. And even if you have, because then you’ll be able to skim some parts and concentrate on the nuggets most useful for you.
Jonathan Baron: Thinking and Deciding
Talking about short books – this is not one of them. This is THE book in the field of decision making. A comprehensive edition with over 500 pages, it covers all the major topics: probability, rationality, normative theory, biases, descriptive theory, risk, moral judgment. Of course, there’s much, much more to any of the topics included, but for an overview this book does an excellent job. It’s no secret that this book sits only a meter away from my desk, that’s how often I tend to read it.
Keith Stanovich: The Robot’s Rebellion - Finding Meaning in the Age of Darwin
This book may be 10 years old, but it’s still relevant today. Stanovich describes beautifully the theory of cognitive science around decisions, Systems 1 and 2 and so on. He proceeds to connect this to Dawkinsian gene/meme theory, resulting in a guide to meaning in the scientific and Darwinian era.
Reid Hastie & Robyn Dawes: Rational Choice in an Uncertain World
For a long time, I was annoyed there doesn’t seem to be a good, non-technical introduction into the field of decision making. Kahneman’s book was too long and focused on his own research. Then I came across this beauty. In just a little over 300 pages, Hastie & Dawes go through all the major findings in behavioral decision making, and also throw in a lesson or two about causality and values. Definitely worth a read if you haven’t gotten into decision making before. And even if you have, because then you’ll be able to skim some parts and concentrate on the nuggets most useful for you.
Jonathan Baron: Thinking and Deciding
Talking about short books – this is not one of them. This is THE book in the field of decision making. A comprehensive edition with over 500 pages, it covers all the major topics: probability, rationality, normative theory, biases, descriptive theory, risk, moral judgment. Of course, there’s much, much more to any of the topics included, but for an overview this book does an excellent job. It’s no secret that this book sits only a meter away from my desk, that’s how often I tend to read it.
Keith Stanovich: The Robot’s Rebellion - Finding Meaning in the Age of Darwin
This book may be 10 years old, but it’s still relevant today. Stanovich describes beautifully the theory of cognitive science around decisions, Systems 1 and 2 and so on. He proceeds to connect this to Dawkinsian gene/meme theory, resulting in a guide to meaning in the scientific and Darwinian era.
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