Last modified: Friday, July 3, 2009 2:19 AM EDT HICKMAN: Author unravels our decision-making process First you say you do, and then you don't And then you say you will, and then you won't; You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?" (from the song, "Undecided") Within 10 minutes of seeing a C-Span interview with Jonah Lehrer about his latest book, "How We Decide," I knew I wanted to read it. With so many other books clamoring for my attention, how had I made that choice? I was about to find out. In a format that is surprisingly accessible, entertaining and downright page-turning, Lehrer explores fresh and fascinating neuro-scientific discoveries about how the brain works when we are making decisions - both mundane and momentous. The book begins with heart-pounding scenario - a sudden engine fire plunges a Boeing 737 into a stall; the plane is seconds from crashing into the city of Tokyo. "I tried to think, but there wasn't time," the pilot recalls. In panic mode, he must make a choice: Increase the throttle and climb, or accelerate downward to regain control. He chooses the latter and lands safely. Lehrer's book is about the fine line between making a good decision and a bad one, whatever our circumstances - and the belief that if we understand "How We Decide," we can make better choices. The author blends scientific research with stories and case studies rich in drama: from the scenario described above, to Tom Brady's celebrated split-second passing decisions, or how NOT to play the stock market. A 29-year-old Rhodes Scholar, Lehrer writes extensively about neuroscience. He is a contributing editor for Wired, Scientific American Mind, and NPR's "Radio Lab," as well as the author of "Proust was a Neuroscientist." He grounds his arguments about decision making in the recent scientific realization that emotions - long considered antithetical to decision making, are instead a vital and essential part of the process. "Emotions are the visceral representation of all the information we possess but don't perceive," he writes. Every feeling is really a summary of data and experience that communicates important information to the rational part of our brains. Tom Brady, for example, does not have time to evaluate each passing alternative. After years of experience, "You just feel like you're going to the right place," he has observed. Like Brady, Bill Roberts, a world-class expert in both chess and poker, consistently consults a felt sense of what's happening in a game, in addition to mathematical analysis. He has learned that "intelligent intuition is the result of deliberate practice." How does it all work? In vastly simplified neuro-mechanical terms, "The fluctuations of the neurotransmitter dopamine are translated into a set of prophetic feelings." The story of British naval commander Michael Riley is a case in point. During the Gulf War, an ordinary-looking blip, one of thousands on the ship's radar screen, inexplicably sent shock waves of alarm through Riley's body. It was a fearful reaction he could not explain; suddenly he just "knew" that the blip was not an American fighter jet, but an enemy Silkworm missile. The lives of 80 American servicemen on the USS Missouri were saved because Riley, lacking time for careful, logical analysis, took a gamble and shot down the "blip." It wasn't until several years after the event that cognitive psychologist Gary Klein determined that a subtle timing difference on the radar screen had triggered Riley's unconscious fear reaction and intuitive insight. Emotions, according to Lehrer, are a crucial cognitive tool, but, like too much rational analysis, they can lead us astray. In the end, the critical decision is how to use both areas of brain most effectively. Lehrer gifts us with an abundance of everyday examples that enlighten and enthrall. If you want to know what part of your brain to rely on when choosing a wine, jam or new car; if you are interested in decision-making strategies for playing "Deal or No Deal"; or if you are not yet aware of the enormous debt pilots (and passengers) owe to flight simulation, this book is for you. Among the parental and educational gold mines are Lehrer's reflections on an iconic "marshmallow" experiment that tests impulse control in children and predicts their adult trajectories, as well as a convincing argument about our most powerful learning tool - making mistakes. Though Lehrer offers some general guidelines to help us make better decisions, he wants us to understand that the brain's "default position is indecisive disagreement." He recommends that we embrace uncertainty, entertain competing mental arguments, and reflect on our decision-making process. Thinking about "How We Decide" will ultimately help us to decide better. Kathy Hickman's column, The Reading Room, now appears in Your Day the first Friday of each month. You can contact her at news@thesunchronicle.com.