Algorithms to Live By:The Computer Science of Human Decisions

When you have a decision to make or a problem that needs solving, what is the first thing you normally turn to?  For instance, how do you judge when to stop looking for something, or to rely on randomness and chance, or choose between the new and the familiar?  In Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths detail how, if you really want to look at problems more rationally, borrowing problem solving techniques or algorithms from computer science can be an enormously productive way to live.  An algorithm is a series of actions (or instructions) that can be followed to solve a particular problem. They are not onlyrelevanttocomputerprograms, butpeoplecanusethemtogetdesiredresults, and better copewithunintended outcomes.  From following recipes to knitting sweaters based on patterns, we already use algorithms in our lives. We just need to understand what we are doing, so we can optimize them

Thinking in terms of algorithms and learning about the structures of problems and their solutions makes us understand what we are good at and why we make errors. This understanding enables us to optimize ourselves and the things we encounter in life.