The best books to understand how we make decisions (and make better ones)

Olivier Sibony Author Of You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake: How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them
By Olivier Sibony

Who am I?

I had a long career as a management consultant, advising business leaders about their most important choices. One question never stopped bothering me: why do really, really great businesspeople sometimes make really, really bad decisions? After 25 years, I finally decided that this question was interesting enough that I wanted to become a professor in order to study it. So that’s what I do now – and I write about what I find.   

I wrote...

You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake: How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them

By Olivier Sibony

Book cover of You're About to Make a Terrible Mistake: How Biases Distort Decision-Making and What You Can Do to Fight Them

What is my book about?

We all make decisions all the time. It’s so natural that we hardly stop to think about it. Yet even the best business leaders make frequent, predictable errors. Indeed, for some types of business decisions, error is not the exception: it is the rule.

In You’re About to Make a Terrible Mistake! you’ll discover dozens of stories that illustrate the most common decision-making traps. And whether your organization is a fledgling nonprofit or a multinational corporation, you’ll find some detailed, practical advice on how to avoid these mistakes and make better decisions.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

The Books I Picked & Why

Thinking, Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman

Book cover of Thinking, Fast and Slow

Why this book?

This book made me leave a career in consulting and become a professor. Kahneman not only won the Nobel prize in economics without being an economist, he also has a gift for making you feel you understand psychological research even if you're not a psychologist. Thinking, Fast and Slow, the book that made "bias" a term everyone recognizes, is unquestionably the first book anyone with an interest in behavioral science and decision-making should read, and perhaps the last one, too. I re-read it at least once a year and always find something I had not paid enough attention to.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

Nudge

By Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein

Book cover of Nudge

Why this book?

After "bias," what is the second-most-popular behavioral science buzzword? Nudge, of course. Some think nudges are a brilliant invention; others claim they're a tool for cynical manipulation. Whether you are in one camp or in the other, the place to start is the book that made the case for "libertarian paternalism," now in a new, "final" edition. If you think you already know what nudges are, you may be surprised to find that "choice architecture," as Thaler and Sunstein call it, is a much more subtle art than you think.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

By Katy Milkman

Book cover of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Why this book?

Katy Milkman's 2021 book tackles the question that every self-help book since the invention of the genre has attempted to answer: how to (really, finally, durably) start doing what you want to do and stop doing what you don't. So, what is Milkman's secret weapon? Behavioral science, of course. In her view, whether a strategy for change works or not is not a matter of belief or personal experience – it is an empirical question to be tested by research. Personally, I think How to Change is the last self-help book I will ever need.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't

By Julia Galef

Book cover of The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't

Why this book?

Even if you don't know anything about behavioral science, you know about confirmation bias, arguably the most insidious of our cognitive limitations. Simply put, people ignore or discount information that contradicts their beliefs, threatens their interests, or challenges their loyalties. Sure, we often spot this problem in others. But we also need to become aware of it – and to address it – in ourselves. In this book, Galef shows you, with practical, inspiring examples, how you can become a better, clearer, more rational thinker. This is the first book on thinking that I recommend to my students.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

By Robert B. Cialdini

Book cover of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Why this book?

Cialdini's classic has sometimes been described as a "manipulation textbook." Indeed, the persuasion techniques it presents (with a treasure trove of examples and fascinating stories) are astoundingly powerful. The first time I read it, I often thought: "I hope this book does not end up in the wrong hands." With over 5 million copies in print, however, that ship has sailed: anyone who has not read Influence is at risk of being manipulated by a cunning salesman who has. Just as importantly, anyone who reads it will find many ethical applications of the book's insights.

When you buy a book we may earn a small commission.

Closely Related Book Lists

The best books on creating an admired brand

Fabian Geyrhalter Author Of Bigger Than This: How to turn any venture into an admired brand Fabian Geyrhalter

The best science fiction books that incorporate various earth cultures on other worlds

Bruce Golden Author Of Red Sky, Blue Moon Bruce Golden

The best books with world building so immersive you may never find your way back out

Christian Schoon Author Of Zenn Scarlett Christian Schoon

The best books on aging wisdom, loss, and spiritual rebirthing

Lucille Ann Meltz Author Of The Elder Widow's Walk: A Personal Inner Journey and Guide for Bereaved Widows 65 and Beyond Lucille Ann Meltz

Distantly Related Book Lists

The best books that helped me find my meaning of life

Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer Author Of The Aeneid Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer

The best books about effective graphic design

Don Glickstein Author Of After Yorktown: The Final Struggle for American Independence Don Glickstein

The best love/hate romance books with a happy ending

Isabel Keats Author Of Skinny Legs Isabel Keats

The best books about the romances of famous literary couples

Lenore Hart Author Of The Raven’s Bride Lenore Hart