Psychology

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is one of the most detailed books on decision making. Kahneman covers each of our cognitive biases in great detail and even shares decision-making insights from his Nobel Prize-winning theory — Prospect Theory. A very informative read with the potential to transform your life for good.

In Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath share tips and tricks on how we can make better decisions. The book starts by noting how terrible decision-makers we are but if we could be conscious of our decision-making processes, we might start making better ones. An excellent book on decision-making. I highly recommend it.

Thinking in Bets is a book that will teach you how to make smart decisions when you do not have all the facts. Annie Duke offers tips on how to overcome your shortcomings in decision making, and ultimately make wiser decisions.

A book on how to find happiness. Daniel Gilbert argues that rather than helping us, our imagination and experiences stand in the way of our attempts at a happy life. The suggestion? We should be more willing to believe in the experiences of others because they are mirrors of our own. A great book on the secret to happiness. I found the message to be simple and wise, but the journey to be unnecessarily long.

Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi takes on the problem of how to live a happier life. A meaningful life is one where the person spends his time in a state of optimal experience called Flow. To live a great life, all your goals must be unified in a way that produces the maximum amount of flow. A hard read but one that will challenge your beliefs on happiness.

A book that seeks to demystify change. To make effective changes, you have to appeal to both sides of your brain: the elephant and the rider. To make change easier, you need to direct the rider, motivate the elephant, and shape the path. A great psychology book with actionable insights based on scientific facts. Highly recommended.

In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl tells his story of surviving a concentration camp and how this experience led to his theory on the importance of meaning in one’s life (Logotherapy). You can find meaning in work (by doing something significant), in love (by caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times. A fascinating read.

Our brain is like a computer that processes all the knowledge instantly to give the first impression. “Thin-slicing” allows us to make decisions quickly that can as good as those made cautiously and deliberately. This technique can be learned through practice and controlled to the point when you know you can trust your instincts or not.