Risky Business

Making decisions can be tough, but how do you know it’s the right one and how can you be sure that unconscious biases aren’t distorting your thinking?

In Risky Business, Anna Withers and Mark Withers draw on decades of research in the fields of psychology, behavioural economics and neuroscience to explain why so-called rational brains are frequently fooled by over 100 powerful unconscious biases. At the same time they provide a straightforward framework everyone can use, where these biases are embodied into eight memorable characters that help us to avoid these pitfalls and make better decisions. All of us, even experts, are influenced by these unconscious biases. We all get attached to relationships or ideas; we are prone to over-confidence or to serving up what others want to hear. We are all prone to use shortcuts to get us to the decision we want and are all influenced by our past experience and the knowledge we have accumulated. Using a wealth of stories and anecdotes they introduce the reader to eight fascinating characters that help us to understand the workings of our unconscious mind. This book is an essential guide to anyone wanting to make better decisions.