9 Of The Best Books On Decision Making ad

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“When in doubt, be ridiculous.”

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Good decision making shapes almost every aspect of our lives, from career choices to relationships, finances,  and everyday habits. It’s not a surprise, therefore, that so many readers turn to books on decision making to better understand how we think, why we make bad decisions, and how we can improve. The best decision making books don’t just offer advice – they explore the psychology behind judgment, cognitive bias, and human behaviour, helping you see why decisions often feel harder than they should. We here at What We Reading have pulled together our favourite books about decision making. These titles break down complex ideas into practical insights you can actually use. Whether you’re looking to improve your thinking, reduce overthinking, or build stronger decision making skills, these books offer clear, evidence-based strategies. These picks will help you make confident choices and understand the forces shaping your everyday decisions. 

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You Are Not So Smart – David McRaney

Kicking off our list of books on decision making is David McRaney’s illuminating read, You Are Not So Smart. Whether you’re deciding which smartphone to purchase or which politician to believe, you think you are a rational being whose every decision is based on cool, detached logic. But, here’s the truth: you are not smart. You’re just as deluded as the rest of us – but that’s okay, because being deluded is part of being human. 

You Are Not So Smart reveals that every decision we make, every thought we contemplate, and every emotion we feel comes with a story we tell ourselves to explain them, even if most of the time these stories aren’t true. Each chapter in this decision making book is like a psychology course with all the boring parts taken out. 

Thinking, Fast And Slow – Daniel Kahneman

In Daniel Kahnmen’s acclaimed book on decision making, Thinking, Fast and Slow, we are introduced to the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behaviour. 

Through lively conversations about the way we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slower thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives – and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that sometimes get us into trouble. Thinking, Fast and Slow promises to change the way we think about thinking. 

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Make Your Bed – William H. McRaven

Taking inspiration from the school’s slogan, “What starts here changes the world,” Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas in May 2014. During his address, he shared ten principles that he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome his training and wider life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves and the world, for the better. 

McRaven’s speech went viral with over ten million views. Building on the core tenets laid out in his original speech, McRaven now recounts tales from his own life and from those he encountered during his military service in his book on decision making, Make Your Bed. Told with humility and optimism, this timeless book provides wisdom, advice, and words of encouragement that promise to inspire readers to achieve more, even in the darkest of times. 

Nudge – Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

Every day we make choices. Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. Nudge is about how we make these choices and how we can begin making better ones. Using dozens of eye-opening examples and drawing on decades of behavioural science research, Nobel Prize winner Richard H. Thaler and Harvard Law School professor Cass Sunstein show that no choice is ever presented to us in a neutral way, and that we are all susceptible to biases that can lead us to make bad decisions. 

But by knowing how people think, we can use sensible “choice architecture” to nudge people toward the best decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society, without restricting our freedom of choice. 

The Art Of Thinking Clearly – Rolf Dobelli

In engaging prose and brimming with practical examples and anecdotes, The Art of Thinking Clearly is an eye-opening look at human reasoning and essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. 

Using real-world examples of cognitive biases and simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking, Dobelli showcases how knowing what they are and how to spot them can lead to us learning how to avoid them and make better decisions. Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision making work. 

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Thinking Better – Marcus Du Sautoy

Thinking Better is a celebration of how maths lets us do more with less. Marcus du Sautoy explores how diagramming revolutionised therapy, why calculus is the greatest shortcut ever invented, whether you must really practice for a thousand hours to become a concert violinist, and why shortcuts give us an advantage over even the most powerful AI. Throughout, we meet artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs who use mathematical shortcuts to change the world. 

Delightful, illuminating, and above all else, practical, Thinking Better is a decision making book for anyone who has ever wondered why you should waste time climbing the mountain when you could go around it far faster. 

Thinking In Bets – Annie Duke

Even the best decision doesn’t yield the best result every time. There’s always an element of luck that you cannot control, and there is always information that is hidden from view. So, the key to long-term success is to think in bets: How sure am I? Annie Duke, a former World Series of Poker champion turned business consultant, draws on examples from business, sport, poker, and politics to share tools anyone can use to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions. 

By shifting your thinking from a need for certainty to a goal of accurately assessing what you know and what you don’t, you’ll be less vulnerable to reactive emotions, knee-jerk biases, and destructive habits in your decision making. You’ll become more confident, calm, compassionate and successful in the long run. 

The Paradox Of Choice – Barry Schwartz

In The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz explains why too much of a good thing has proven detrimental to our psychological and emotional well-being. In accessible, engaging, and anecdotal prose, Schwartz explains how a culture that thrives on the availability of constantly evolving options can also foster profound dissatisfaction and self-blame in individuals, which can lead to paralysis in decision making and, in some instances, depression. 

With the latest studies on how we make choices in our personal and professional lives, Schwartz offers practical advice on how to focus on the right choices and how to derive greater satisfaction from the decisions that we do make. 

Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) – Carol Tavris & Elliot Aronson

Why is it so hard to say, “I made a mistake” – and really believe it? When we make mistakes, cling to outdated attitudes, or mistreat other people, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so, unconsciously, we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right – a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong. 

Backed by years of research, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) presents a fascinating explanation of self-justification – how it works, the damage it can cause, and how we can overcome it. Social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how our brains are wired for self-justification, making for one of the best books about making choices. 

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