Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
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- Create Date：2021-04-28 11:56:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Brian Christian
- ISBN：0007547994
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Summary
What should we do， or leave undone， in a day or a lifetime？ How much messiness should we accept？ What balance of the new and familiar is the most fulfilling？ These may seem like uniquely human quandaries， but they are not。 Computers， like us， confront limited space and time， so computer scientists have been grappling with similar problems for decades。 And the solutions they’ve found have much to teach us。
In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work， Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths show how algorithms developed for computers also untangle very human questions。 They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance， how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others。 From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot， from organizing one’s inbox to peering into the future， Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living。
In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work， Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths show how algorithms developed for computers also untangle very human questions。 They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance， how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others。 From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot， from organizing one’s inbox to peering into the future， Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living。
Reviews
Jeremiah Dunham
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It’s algorithms applied to real life; what’s not to like？ When to get married， why “good enough” usually is， and how reducing cognitive load is a form of kindness to others are among the many delightful lessons we can learn from computer science。 Whether learning algorithms anew or seeing your old favorites in a new light， this book is a joy。
Jana Rađa
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I liked this one a lot， although I can't say I learned anything new。 Still， every once in a while， it is good to pause and think about decisions we make and why we make them （or not）。 I finished this some time ago but didn't have time to write any reviews， so today might turn out to be a busy day。 I have a whole stack of books that I read but haven't put back on the （virtual） shelf yet。 For a longer review， read Rossdavidh's review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。。 I listened to the aud I liked this one a lot， although I can't say I learned anything new。 Still， every once in a while， it is good to pause and think about decisions we make and why we make them （or not）。 I finished this some time ago but didn't have time to write any reviews， so today might turn out to be a busy day。 I have a whole stack of books that I read but haven't put back on the （virtual） shelf yet。 For a longer review， read Rossdavidh's review: https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。。 I listened to the audiobook while walking the dog and it was a solid production。 。。。more
Andres Hernando
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No aprendí mucho pero soy ingeniero en computación。 Interesante， igual。
QT_Le
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Really informative and actually useful
Jill Fearing
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Blinkist
David
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Best book I've read in a while。 Great for computer science people， or anyone who wants to think like one。 Best book I've read in a while。 Great for computer science people， or anyone who wants to think like one。 。。。more
Francisco
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Gives a different perspective than what am used to and it was exciting to step out into this world。
Camila
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Wow。 What a good book。 I was fascinated pretty much the entire time， and I think the authors did a great job at presenting complex ideas in interesting and applicable ways。
Amaan Pirani
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+ Really good at explaining basic computer science algorithms - even though I've learned about most of the algorithms in the book through CS coursework， I gained a better conceptual understanding through this book + The author's main claim that intractable problems should be broken down into tractable problems is compelling， as is their advocacy to explore and then exploit。 I've seen implications of the book many times even in the hours after reading it+ The authors advocacy of honest communicat + Really good at explaining basic computer science algorithms - even though I've learned about most of the algorithms in the book through CS coursework， I gained a better conceptual understanding through this book + The author's main claim that intractable problems should be broken down into tractable problems is compelling， as is their advocacy to explore and then exploit。 I've seen implications of the book many times even in the hours after reading it+ The authors advocacy of honest communication is compelling - don't say "I don't know" when someone asks what you want - tell them what you honestly think！- at times， I felt the authors lacked content to fill an entire book。 If you've taken an intro cs theory course Or an algos course a lot of the book， with the exceptions of the very beginning and very end are repetitive， especially given you will know most of the algorithms they discuss。 。。。more
Itamar
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The high average rating （~4。14） did not disappoint！ Although I tend to refrain from reading non-fiction—I enjoy plots！—this book captivated me from the beginning and was interesting throughout。 In addition， it is full of remarkable examples， tons of interviews and delightful humor！I have been amongst computer science graduates for several years now and am familiar with many of the topics discussed in the book。 However， this read was a rare experience of genuine fascination with this area （the “e The high average rating （~4。14） did not disappoint！ Although I tend to refrain from reading non-fiction—I enjoy plots！—this book captivated me from the beginning and was interesting throughout。 In addition， it is full of remarkable examples， tons of interviews and delightful humor！I have been amongst computer science graduates for several years now and am familiar with many of the topics discussed in the book。 However， this read was a rare experience of genuine fascination with this area （the “exploit/explore” chapter was thoroughly outstanding）。I highly recommend this book to those related to the high-tech industry。 However， anyone with an inclination to curiosity towards doing things better or more efficiently will enjoy this book。 。。。more
Lauren
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This is a super accessible and interesting book about how math and computer science can be used in everyday life。 Highly recommend！
Paige McLoughlin
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so cool calculating shortcuts that may be helpful in real life whether searching for a job candidate or knowing when to quit a search， sorting algorithms， curve fitting， clustering， the perils of overoptimization， the uses of random sampling， Bayesian reasoning。 All of these techniques of computer science often are inspired by real-world analogs which go back and forth between practical real-world dealings and computer science theories。 A very good book to come up with some hacks to use in real so cool calculating shortcuts that may be helpful in real life whether searching for a job candidate or knowing when to quit a search， sorting algorithms， curve fitting， clustering， the perils of overoptimization， the uses of random sampling， Bayesian reasoning。 All of these techniques of computer science often are inspired by real-world analogs which go back and forth between practical real-world dealings and computer science theories。 A very good book to come up with some hacks to use in real life。 。。。more
Nikhil Iyengar
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I found the Explore/Exploit strategy to be pretty thought-provoking。
Denis Kerec
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Lovely。 A combination of knowledge ans history of "IT"。Lovely！ Lovely。 A combination of knowledge ans history of "IT"。Lovely！ 。。。more
Ivan Zhao
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A fantastic primer for people without a computer science background （and honestly after taking algos， was still a fun read）。 Brian Christian （and co） go through the heuristics of decision making processes and understanding how a lot of fundamental ideas in decision making are made。 While they are all definitely wrong since the human life is way more complex than searching for a simple parking spot， it gives a great intro into thinking around how we can make more informed decisions in life
Ash
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Loved it。 As a computer engineer， I knew many of the algorithms mentioned here but I still enjoyed reading about them。 There were some machine learning， statistics and probability related ones which were new to me。 The authors give high level overviews of computer algorithms and show how these algorithms can be used to solve our day to day problems in real life。 Even a person who doesn't know anything about computer science will be able to learn something from this book。 I only wish it had some Loved it。 As a computer engineer， I knew many of the algorithms mentioned here but I still enjoyed reading about them。 There were some machine learning， statistics and probability related ones which were new to me。 The authors give high level overviews of computer algorithms and show how these algorithms can be used to solve our day to day problems in real life。 Even a person who doesn't know anything about computer science will be able to learn something from this book。 I only wish it had some mathematics in it and then it would have been perfect for me。 But I guess mathematics would have pushed some people away making it look intimidating。 I want a similar book written just for computer engineers with full algorithms in it as that would be amazing。 。。。more
Julia
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The first part of the book looks appealing， but closer to the end the author comes into nitty-gritty technical details that don't apply from my perspective。 The first part of the book looks appealing， but closer to the end the author comes into nitty-gritty technical details that don't apply from my perspective。 。。。more
Sean Rodriguez
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The algorithmic discussions can be a bit dense in understanding the information。 It is hard to read straight through from start to finish， but has plenty of great talking points。 Some of my favorite chapters included Game Theory and Caching in everyday life。 Here are some excerpts from the book I really enjoyed:Peter Principle: Every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence。 The idea is that in a hierarchal organization， anyone doing a job proficiently will be rewarded with a promotio The algorithmic discussions can be a bit dense in understanding the information。 It is hard to read straight through from start to finish， but has plenty of great talking points。 Some of my favorite chapters included Game Theory and Caching in everyday life。 Here are some excerpts from the book I really enjoyed:Peter Principle: Every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence。 The idea is that in a hierarchal organization， anyone doing a job proficiently will be rewarded with a promotion into a new job that may involve more complex and/or different challenges。 When the employee finally reaches a role in which they don’t perform well， their March up the ranks will stall， and they will remain in that role for the rest of their career。Algorithms to live by pg。 219Yes， people search for objective characteristics they care about。 Everybody wants somebody who’s kind and intelligent and interesting and healthy and maybe physically attractive， good earning power， the whole laundry list of features， but that’s just the first pass。。。 After you spend enough time together， it’s not those things that make you want to stay together。 It’s just the fact that it’s that particular person-that is what’s valuable to you， so you don’t really need the contract so much as you need a feeling that makes you not what to separate， even though objectively there might be a better option available to you。Algorithms to live by pg。 246 。。。more
Achilleas
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There is not a single chapter in this book that won't help you rethink and reevaluate everyday-life decisions。 I'll certainly keep it at arm's reach for a long time to come。 There is not a single chapter in this book that won't help you rethink and reevaluate everyday-life decisions。 I'll certainly keep it at arm's reach for a long time to come。 。。。more
Eva Keiffenhem
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Disclaimer: I'm probably not in the book's target group。 I didn't study computer science nor am I fascinated by it。 What I really liked about the book were the clear explanations of computer science concepts （like explore vs exploit， scheduling theory， or optimal stopping）。What I didn't like is the attempt to apply and translate the theories to human decision-making。 In parts， it seemed like a desperate attempt to press human experiences into mathematical logic。 It works in parts， yet it comes a Disclaimer: I'm probably not in the book's target group。 I didn't study computer science nor am I fascinated by it。 What I really liked about the book were the clear explanations of computer science concepts （like explore vs exploit， scheduling theory， or optimal stopping）。What I didn't like is the attempt to apply and translate the theories to human decision-making。 In parts， it seemed like a desperate attempt to press human experiences into mathematical logic。 It works in parts， yet it comes at the cost of lacking depth。 Another thing I didn't like is the underlying assumption that humans want to do as much as possible as fast as possible。 In parts， the writing reminded me of internalized capitalism。 I would have loved to stumble upon more critical， reflective thoughts。 。。。more
Karen
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This is so much of the information I learned throughout a computer science undergrad education， condensed and told in the most entertaining and colloquial way I could imagine！ Even if you don't have a technical background， I think the book is great at explaining the algorithms/concepts in simple ways and providing a litany of examples。The general idea of the book， that you can reframe and reapply algorithmic solutions for computational problems into "real life，" is a really cool one and posed so This is so much of the information I learned throughout a computer science undergrad education， condensed and told in the most entertaining and colloquial way I could imagine！ Even if you don't have a technical background， I think the book is great at explaining the algorithms/concepts in simple ways and providing a litany of examples。The general idea of the book， that you can reframe and reapply algorithmic solutions for computational problems into "real life，" is a really cool one and posed some fun thought experiments。 Would highly recommend！ 。。。more
Pramodh
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I struggled with the first two chapters。 This book got better and better as I went through it。 If you want to get a generalized understanding of what computer science is， this is a good book。 The authors explain things such a simplified general terms that one would get an insight into the problem that is being solved。 Now， whenever I open a tab in the browser， I have a https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Special。。。 that opens up a random wikipedia link thus me introducing randomness to knowing somethi I struggled with the first two chapters。 This book got better and better as I went through it。 If you want to get a generalized understanding of what computer science is， this is a good book。 The authors explain things such a simplified general terms that one would get an insight into the problem that is being solved。 Now， whenever I open a tab in the browser， I have a https://en。wikipedia。org/wiki/Special。。。 that opens up a random wikipedia link thus me introducing randomness to knowing something out of my usual searches 。。。more
María
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El mejor libro de no ficción que he leído hasta la fecha， me ha parecido fascinante， súper curioso y práctico
Stijn Lamers
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Unfortunately， this book is not what I expected。 It has little relationship with everyday life， which I would've expected when reading the back of the book。 There are some useful tips in there， but nothing really shocking。 Unfortunately， this book is not what I expected。 It has little relationship with everyday life， which I would've expected when reading the back of the book。 There are some useful tips in there， but nothing really shocking。 。。。more
Garrett
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Fun and informational。 I hope my brain remembers enough to be useful。
Filip Poposki
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An amazing book， great for understanding some principles behind the operation of computers
Samuel
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This was a pretty fascinating book for me。 I learned a lot about computer science and all the research through the years that has gone into finding efficient algorithms to solve common problems。 The main idea of the book is that computer science has been trying to find efficient algorithms for problems that have very practical applications in the real world。 For example， deciding when to stop looking for the best option and pick one is a problem that shows up in job-seeking， hiring， apartment/ho This was a pretty fascinating book for me。 I learned a lot about computer science and all the research through the years that has gone into finding efficient algorithms to solve common problems。 The main idea of the book is that computer science has been trying to find efficient algorithms for problems that have very practical applications in the real world。 For example， deciding when to stop looking for the best option and pick one is a problem that shows up in job-seeking， hiring， apartment/house-hunting， car shopping， and many more areas。 You can always look longer， but you might not be able to go back and pick the best one you've seen so far。 If you stop too early， you might not have seen the best one yet。 My favorite concept in the book is about caches and something called "buffer bloat"。 Computers have long had caches to manage short-term memory。 A problem arose when the caches got so big due to cheaper storage that by the tine they filled up completely， there was so much that it crashed。 This is called "buffer bloat"。 A similar thing happens when we have a bunch of texts or emails waiting for our response， or a bunch of books in our reading backlog， or a bunch of podcasts in our backlog， etc。 We have traded responsive for the ability to queue things for later response， and this takes a toll on us。 The solution is to let more of it go by without putting it in our queue to reply/engage with。 We have to prioritize and let some things drop if we want to maintain quality in the things we do choose to take on。 。。。more
Jon
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This book is an interesting look at how the algorithms of computer science can influence our everyday decisions: Should we try a new restaurant or stick with a familiar choice that we like？ When should we try to optimize a solution， and when should we settle for "good enough"？ How many people should we date before deciding to get married？ Algorithms to Live By explores these questions among others， and offers mathematical and computational solutions to them。It's an intriguing idea， but I found s This book is an interesting look at how the algorithms of computer science can influence our everyday decisions: Should we try a new restaurant or stick with a familiar choice that we like？ When should we try to optimize a solution， and when should we settle for "good enough"？ How many people should we date before deciding to get married？ Algorithms to Live By explores these questions among others， and offers mathematical and computational solutions to them。It's an intriguing idea， but I found some sections of this book a bit tedious。 There are certain computational problems （e。g。 task scheduling） that I just don't find that interesting。 In my view， the book would be improved by spending more time on the more interesting sections， like graph theory and game theory。 。。。more
Kirk
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Okay， need to be computer savvy to understand some of it。
Katie Dunn
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