How not to become a slave to gray matter

Seeing Jonah Lerer's How We Make Decisions on a store shelf, the nucleus accumbens in the subcortical regions of my brain released a certain amount of dopamine, which led to the emergence of an emotion of happiness from the potential purchase and possession of the book, which prompted me to shell out a lot of money , - probably, this is how the author would explain my decision to buy his book. Or not. Most likely, he would say that the intention to purchase the book came from the prefrontal cortex of the frontal lobe of my brain, which is responsible for rational, informed decisions. After all, what writer wants his books to be bought only in a state of passion?

In general, Jonah Lehrer describes in detail two ways of making decisions - emotional and rational. Based on the results of numerous studies from neuroscience and psychology (the bibliography at the end of the book takes 14 pages), unusual real-life cases and historical facts, the author tries to prove that emotions do not always prevent a person from making the right decisions, as was thought by the ancient Greeks or the pillars of the Enlightenment. . Moreover, feelings and instincts can be the most active participants in the productive thought process. But in an attempt to get away from Plato’s opposition of reason and feelings, Lehrer failed to really show the mechanisms of their interaction. Both methods of decision-making are considered by him as alternative, and sometimes competing with each other, depending on various circumstances and accompanying conditions. The author examines in detail the advantages and limitations of each method, but in isolation from each other, as if our brain is literally divided into two halves: “emotional” and “rational”, and a person can only choose which one to trust.

It is clear that Lehrer is partial to neurobiology and is inclined to overestimate computed tomography data to explain the most complex acts of behavior. Like any representative of medical sciences, the author is trying to find simple formulas of human behavior in the form of bursts of electrical activity in various parts of the brain. Therefore, some of Lehrer's conclusions seem controversial or even contradictory to other theories of human motivation.

Despite this, the approach presented in the book to studying the decision-making process from a neurobiological point of view seems interesting and opens up new facets of the human brain. On the one hand, Lehrer summarized the results of numerous studies in the field of brain research and tried to show how the work of its various parts is related to the psychology of human behavior, which in itself deserves attention. On the other hand, he did it somewhat one-sidedly and straightforwardly.

Jonah Lehrer comes across as a staunch materialist who is not overly concerned with issues of personal choice and freedom of thought. The author’s materialistic and deterministic views were especially clearly reflected in his discussions about the mechanisms of moral choice and the nature of empathy. According to Lehrer, human morality is not based on rational principles, but is regulated by innate emotional mechanisms. It’s just that the human brain is designed in such a way as to do good and get pleasure from it, the author writes, without considering it necessary to go into the details of such a device. And if someone creates evil around them, like psychopaths, then they have a corresponding brain dysfunction. Consequently, neither upbringing nor the social environment have a noticeable influence on the development of moral feelings.

In general, one gets the feeling that the decision-making process, despite the neurobiological basis provided for it, even to Lehrer himself still seems incomprehensible and largely irrational. Therefore, the author tried to avoid moralizing monologues or ready-made recipes from the “do this and you will be happy” series. But it is precisely the absence of direct advice that I would call one of the main advantages of the book. Good non-fiction literature should pose more questions than it should provide cliched answers. And the only advice to which the author smoothly leads the reader sounds indecently banal, but not useless. By following it, we will at least learn to make decisions more consciously, and not blindly follow the impulses of our brain.

Lehrer, J. How we make decisions / Jonah Lehrer. - M.: CORPUS, 2010. - 350 p.