When Instinct Trumps Reason - Jonah Lehrer February 27, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/02/19/Jonah_Lehrer_Inside_My_Mind

Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Choose, discusses the limitations of rational thought and explains that while the human prefrontal cortex is a "magnificent piece of machinery," it easily short circuits when given too much information. Conversely, he argues, there are many instances when it is wise to trust the instinctual part of the brain.

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Scientists are using the latest neuroscience tools to break open the black box of the mind to uncover the secrets of our decision-making process.

From CEOs to firefighters, how does each person's mind make decisions? And how can we make those decisions better?

Noted author Jonah Lehrer arms us with the tools to determine which part of the brain to lean on when we make decisions. -- The Commonwealth Club of California

Jonah Lehrer is an Editor at Large for Seed Magazine and the author of 'How We Decide' and 'Proust Was a Neuroscientist'. He graduated from Columbia University and studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He's written for The New Yorker, Nature, Wired, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. He is also a Contributing Editor at Scientific American Mind and National Public Radio's Radio Lab.