How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making

By: Ryan Hamilton, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Ryan Hamilton

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

People have always been fascinated by how the mind works. Thousands of times each day, we are presented with choices that require decisions: from what to wear each day to where to live. Over millennia philosophers, theologians, and mathematicians have all weighed in on how we make decisions, and in recent centuries economists, psychologists, and sociologists have joined this investigation. Some of these past theories are essentially aspirational, describing decision making as it should be, not as it often is.

This course provides a different view. In How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making, Professor Ryan Hamilton, associate professor of marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, uses research revealed via the scientific method to understand and explain human decision making. While his easygoing manner and anecdotes about surprising and bizarre choices will keep you enthralled, Professor Hamilton also shares what decision science has revealed through empirically tested theories that make falsifiable predictions and lead to testable hypotheses. Based on the outcomes of his own published experiments and those of his colleagues, Dr. Hamilton presents information that allows you to better understand the choices you face every day, the tools you can use to make the best decisions for your personal goals, and how to most effectively influence the decisions of others.

Throughout this course, you'll examine complex and seemingly simple decisions and see the factors that play into both. You'll understand the pitfalls of routines that have become such a part of life that they obscure the decision making process and learn how the memory of a song or joke heard years ago can have an effect on a decision being made today.

Dr. Hamilton emphasizes the complex nature of human beings and the many environmental, physical, and emotional aspects of life that can impact any specific decision at any given moment.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2016 The Great Courses

A solid listen about decision making process

Would you listen to How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making again? Why?

I will definitely come back to this book, The author crunched a lot of data and research and put it in to simple words for a normal person to understand. The book is based largely on research and the hard data is chewed up and provided in easy to listen bites.

What other book might you compare How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making to and why?

Not sure i can compare it to another book , but this book is a solid one. I could however compare it to sitting in a classroom of an interesting subject lead by an amazing professor. for a semester.

What about Professor Ryan Hamilton’s performance did you like?

Really solid, fact, research based approach, no popular psychology crap.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely no , the nature of this book and the fact that it contains a lot of info and t hat info takes time to digest.

Any additional comments?

I would absolutely recommend this to anyone.

Excellent Job

Useful. Valuable. Insightful. Decision-making is a difficult thing. The course explains how we cope with that challenge. Thank you. Great job.

Very applicable and entertaining

Excellent coverage of the topic with examples from the wild. Will definitely change my marketing tactics.

Intriguing Course -10/10 Recommend

I liked the idea of this course because I was looking to eliminate stagnant time in my days when I was not learning something new; however, had no idea I’d love this course this much. I listened to it almost all day everyday -while cleaning, driving to school, working on busywork homework, and running. These lectures were quite thorough but never boring. The topics are presented with a sort of relatability that makes them all the more intriguing and convincing. I’d recommend this course to all levels of psychology enthusiasts (or just curious minds like mine). By the end of the course you’re sure to be obsessed. Have fun analyzing every decision made from this point on!

Worth a listen all over again

This complex topic will take more listening to sink in. Luckily, the lecturer’s style and presentation make the topics easy to listen to. The research studies presented in the lectures are interesting as well. (the things researchers get up to in their Rolling Stones t-shirts)

This course will be a future repeat for me.

Ryan Hamilton Makes This A Good Decision

What did you love best about How You Decide: The Science of Human Decision Making?

Ryan Hamilton. Great delivery. Passionate about material and entertaining subtle sense of humor.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ryan Hamilton

What does Professor Ryan Hamilton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Adds a lot of color with some subtle sarcasm and humor.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Enjoyed it from start to finish.

Any additional comments?

I will buy anything else narrated by Ryan Hamilton.

Good mix of psychology and marketing.

Great stuff. The narration was clear and humorous. The bentmd of psychology and marketing made for an overall entertaining listen.

great for starters or as a refresher

covers everything so far discovered regarding decision making. eventually, I hope stuff like this will be mandatory in education, but until then, please listen, share, and understand the big and small things that influence your "free will" every day

Fantastic knowledge in a wonderful presentation.

I wish I had this knowledge 20 years ago

precise and eloquently presented

I will look for more materials from this professor

every other chapter solid

good listen could be shortened to 12 chapter s... seems like some are just filler...worth a listen for sure