Decision-Making Science just got dismantled. Here’s the new toolbox.

Apparently, there’s no help from science if we want to get better at making rational decisions. There’s not much help from ethics or philosophy, either. List of tools and recommended reading: - Via negativa (detect and avoid) Narrow view Status quo bias Peer Pressure Disproportionate risk - Framing Principles and Identity What Makes Humans Happy Maximize “Memory Dividends” or Minimize regret Invert Mode: Explore or Exploit - Better information Generate more options Define ideal quantities Get Base Rates Ask an expert Consider opportunity costs Run a Tiny Experiment Do nothing - Attain emotional distance 10/10/10 What would you advise a friend do? Maximize Energy Done is better than perfect Tripwire Flip a coin Books: Brooks, Arthur, and Oprah Winfrey. Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting What You Truly Want. Portfolio/Penguin, 2023. Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Business, 1984. Cialdini, Robert B. Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster, 2016. (Cialdini’s books are great to understand how other people can influence our decisions) Epstein, David. Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Riverhead Books, 2019. Haidt, Jonathan. The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Basic Books, 2006. Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work. Crown Business, 2013. Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. Pink, Daniel H. The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward. Riverhead Books, 2022. Rhinehart, Luke. The Dice Man. Overlook Press, 1971. [Novel] Schwartz, Barry, and Richard Schuldenfrei. Choose Wisely: Rationality, Ethics, and the Art of Decision-Making. Yale University Press, 2025. Wilson, Timothy D. Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious. Harvard University Press, 2002. 00:00 Intro 00:56 Author’s criticisms of RCT 04:28 The flawed new “method” 04:44 Judgement 08:17 Meaning 10:40 Moderation 11:42 How to actually make better decisions 12:05 Good ideas in the books 14:43 An actual solution 15:58 Pause 17:28 Throw the whole toolbox 19:21 Via negativa 21:42 Framing 28:21 Better information 34:48 Emotional Distance 39:22 Conclusion