11 Best Decision Making Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 11 best decision making books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Decision Making books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best decision making books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
11 Best Decision Making Books
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Decisive
How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work
Also recommended by
1 person
Julia Galef recommended this bookJulia Galef
"Explains four of the biggest judgment errors [...] and gives tips for combating them." - Julia Galef
Julia Galef's recommendation of this book
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Also recommended by
19 people
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Ray Dalio recommended this bookRay Dalio
Ray Dalio mentioned this book in his book, "Principles."
Ray Dalio's recommendation of this book 
Scott Adams recommended this bookScott Adams
One of the books on Scott Adams' "Persuasion Reading List."
Scott Adams's recommendation of this book 
Naval Ravikant recommended this bookNaval Ravikant
"Fine book but it didn’t need to be an entire book. A blog post would have gotten the point across." - Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant's recommendation of this book 
Ev Williams recommended this bookEv Williams
"I love surprising scientific findings, as well as information about how our brains work. [This book] is a treasure trove of both." - Ev Williams
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Marc Andreessen recommended this bookMarc Andreessen
"Captivating dive into human decision making, marred by inclusion of several/many? psychology studies that fail to replicate. Will stand as a cautionary tale?" - Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book +13
More recommendations
- Stewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
- Bryan Johnson
"I started reading [this book] and I became increasingly convinced of my own fickleness and inability to actually act rationally in life." - Bryan Johnson
- Derek Sivers
"If you liked 'Predictably Irrational' or 'Stumbling on Happiness' or any of those pop-psychology books, well, this is the Godfather of all of their work." - Derek Sivers
- Sam Altman
One of Sam Altman's answers to "What are some of the best books you recommend for a young startup founder?"
- Ron Conway
"Covers all three phases of [the author's] career: his early days working oncognitive bias, his work on prospect theory, and his later work on happiness." - Ron Conway
- Jason Fried
"I enjoyed [this book]. Fascinating." - Jason Fried
- Nassim Taleb
"A landmark book in social thought, in the same league as The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith and The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud." - Nassim Taleb
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Jay Shetty
"[One] of my favourite books." - Jay Shetty
- Michiko Kakutani
"Has become essential reading in many baseball front offices and among coaching staffs." - Michiko Kakutani
- Preston Pysh
"An incredible book!" - Preston Pysh
- Ben Greenfield
Most Recommended Books reached out to Ben Greenfield directly.
- Stewart Brand
Predictably Irrational
The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions
Also recommended by
4 people
Keith Rabois recommended this bookKeith Rabois
Keith Rabois recommended this book on Quora.
Keith Rabois's recommendation of this book 
Max Levchin recommended this bookMax Levchin
One of Max Levchin's answers to "what's your favourite business book you'd advise to young entrepreneurs?"
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book 
Tom Bilyeu recommended this bookTom Bilyeu
Tom Bilyeu recommended this book on his website.
Tom Bilyeu's recommendation of this book 
Ryan Shea recommended this bookRyan Shea
Ryan Shea recommended this book on his website.
Ryan Shea's recommendation of this book
The Paradox of Choice
Why More Is Less
Also recommended by
2 people
Pavel Tsatsouline recommended this bookPavel Tsatsouline
"A very good book." - Pavel Tsatsouline
Pavel Tsatsouline's recommendation of this book 
Noah Kagan recommended this bookNoah Kagan
"At restaurants, close the menu after you find the 1 dish that you like." - Noah Kagan
Noah Kagan's recommendation of this book
Smart Choices
A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
Also recommended by
1 person
Mike Maples, Jr. recommended this bookMike Maples, Jr.
"I wish I had learned the discipline of how to decide when I was younger." - Mike Maples, Jr.
Mike Maples, Jr.'s recommendation of this book
Thinking in Bets
Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
Also recommended by
9 people
Seth Godin recommended this bookSeth Godin
"The first chapter alone will change your life." - Seth Godin
Seth Godin's recommendation of this book - Marc Andreessen recommended this book
Marc Andreessen
"Compact guide to probabilistic domains like poker, or venture capital." - Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen's recommendation of this book - Mike Maples, Jr. recommended this book
Mike Maples, Jr.
"I wish I had learned the discipline of how to decide when I was younger." - Mike Maples, Jr.
Mike Maples, Jr.'s recommendation of this book - Max Levchin recommended this book
Max Levchin
"I read this book all the way through because I found the premise so intriguing. [The author] is a well-known poker player and won a World Series of Poker gold bracelet." - Max Levchin
Max Levchin's recommendation of this book 
Howard Marks recommended this bookHoward Marks
"So many of [the author's] thoughts on poker and on decision-making in general agreed with mine." - Howard Marks
Howard Marks's recommendation of this book 
Michael Mauboussin recommended this bookMichael Mauboussin
"An awesome book." - Michael Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin's recommendation of this book +3
More recommendations
- Jason Fried
Jason Fried mentioned this book on Twitter.
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- Danny Miranda
"[The author]'s academic plus poker background make this at a fascinating perspective." - Danny Miranda
- Jason Fried
"Yes" or "No"
The Guide to Better Decisions
Blink
The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Also recommended by
3 people- Ev Williams recommended this book
Ev Williams
On the "books read" section of Ev Williams' GoodReads profile.
Ev Williams's recommendation of this book 
Kevin Systrom recommended this bookKevin Systrom
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook.
Kevin Systrom's recommendation of this book 
Mike Shinoda recommended this bookMike Shinoda
"I know most of the guys in the band read [this book]." - Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda's recommendation of this book
Nudge
Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Also recommended by
3 people
Ben Shapiro recommended this bookBen Shapiro
"A somewhat creepy book." - Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro's recommendation of this book 
Mr. Money Mustache recommended this bookMr. Money Mustache
"On decision making." - MMM
Mr. Money Mustache's recommendation of this book - Kevin Systrom recommended this book
Kevin Systrom
Kevin Systrom recommended this book on Facebook.
Kevin Systrom's recommendation of this book
Algorithms to Live By
The Computer Science of Human Decisions
Also recommended by
1 person
Anthony Pompliano recommended this bookAnthony Pompliano
"[One of the] best books I read in 2017." - Anthony Pompliano
Anthony Pompliano's recommendation of this book
The Art of Thinking Clearly
Sources
- 1
The Best 5 Books on Decision Making (in 2023) - TES
theexceptionalskills.com
- 2
The 10 Best Books for Better Decision Making | Dean Yeong
deanyeong.com
- 3
12 Best Decision Making Books To Read In 2023
teambuilding.com
- 4
The 14 Best Books on Decision Making | BookSummaryClub
booksummaryclub.com
- 5
Top Best Decision Making Books
wallstreetmojo.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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