You Are What You Choose

By Scott de Marchi and James T. Hamilton
Portfolio, $23.95, 187 pages

You Are What You Choose is written by Duke University professors Scott De Marchi and James T. Hamilton. The authors use research to illustrate the patterns that underlie human decision-making. To test their ideas, they administered subjective surveys to approximately 30,000 people, resulting in the discovery that there are six core traits that shape every decision we make. Once readers know how the traits work, they can predict more accurately how people behave, and this book also offers surveys to help its readers identify their own traits.

You Are What You Choose: The Habits of Mind That Really Determine How We Make Decisions offers constructive solutions to help people change how we make decisions. According to the authors, “If you’re totally focused on outcomes today, you will miss out on opportunities in the future. Likewise, if you’re always thinking about tomorrow, you may miss what today has to offer.”

Reviewed by Vivian Dixon Sober