I just listened to journalist/author Jonah Lehrer talking about his new book How We Decide on In Forum (a suborganizataion of the Commonwealth Club). (He also wrote Proust was a Neuroscientist.) He talks about, well, how we decide, and emotional vs. rational thought works, i.e., the conversation between those two parts of the brain that helps us make decisions. What does this have to do with motorcycling, you ask? Well, he didn't say specifically, but automatic tasks like having a conversation with a friend, doing a crossword puzzle, driving a car (riding a motorcycle), frees up the analytical/rational mind and allow us to make the right decision. It's a fascinating conversation. And we probably already knew this, but next time we need to make a decision, it's probably best to jump on the motorcycle and let the decision happen there. Right? Listen to the program.
Cash or credit? Punt or go for first down? Deal or no deal? Life is
filled with puzzling choices. Reporting from the frontiers of
neuroscience and armed with riveting case studies of how pilots,
quarterbacks, and others act under fire, Jonah Lehrer presents a
dazzlingly authoritative and accessible account of how we make
decisions, what's happening in our heads as we do so, and how we might
all become better deciders. Luckily, this one's a no-brainer: Read this
book.
–Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
Folks driving cars on autopilot is a significant contributor to “I just didn’t see the motorcyclist!”