“Mind matters” By: steven johnson Lauren Perry Smethurst October 3, 2012

Summary In the book review “Mind Matters,” Steven Johnson shares his thoughts on an engaging new book by the name of How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer, a science prodigy. This book explains how the thinking-person decides, with consideration to self-help, in order to make better decisions. Steven Johnson points out how Jonah Lehrer approaches the topic of decision-making by mentioning the main focus of the book, which is that we as people sometimes have to reason through and carefully weigh our options while listening to our emotions in the process of decision-making. Johnson says that Lehrer conceptualizes his ideas through a wide- array of anecdotes and scenarios, which helps the reader better understand the author’s ideas.

Summary Continued… Johnson points out that the average reader would benefit the most from the sociopolitical issues discussed in How We Decide, rather than the personal ones. In his book, Lehrer makes reference to our current financial crisis. He supports this claim by giving an example of how credit card spending differs from cash spending. When cash is physically loss, your wallet is “literally lighter” in weight, but when you use a credit card the transaction is abstract because the loss is less physical. Therefore, we spend more relentlessly when using a credit card because we focus our attention more physically than mentally in financial situations. When we think of money, we pay attention more so to the physical aspect of carrying actual money so it seems like a greater loss because we can’t physically see it. In conclusion, Johnson affirms that Lehrer fails to discuss the decisions that matter most in our lives, and Johnson assumes that Lehrer might tackle these overlooked decisions in another book.

Connection: “Stress Changes How People Make Decisions” By: Science Daily Research shows that stress contributes to thoughts of positive outcomes. Relates back to Lehrer’s idea that people weigh possible outcomes when making a decision. Example: So someone who's deciding whether to take a new job and is feeling stressed by the decision might weigh the increase in salary more heavily than the worse commute. The increased focus on the positive also helps explain why stress plays a role in addictions, and people under stress have a harder time controlling their urges. The compulsion to get that reward comes stronger and they're less able to resist it. So a person who's under stress might think only about the good feelings they'll get from a drug, while the downsides shrink into the distance.

Questions Do you notice a difference in the way you spend money when using cash, rather than a credit card?

Questions Do you agree or disagree with Lehrer’s idea that humans make decisions on the basis of weighing possible outcomes?