The Control Heuristic
Understand why action-taking is so difficult and how to change habits
2nd edition
or
Some reviews
"This book is like a magnificent suspension bridge, linking the science of the human brain to the practical craft of applying it in everyday life. I loved it."
Rory Sutherland
Vice-Chairman, Ogilvy
"A SUPERB book […] by one of the profound thinkers in our field [behavioral economics]."
Michael G. Bartlett
CCXP
"This book was so helpful to my work. Opened my eyes to some more reasons why change is so hard."
Chris Murman
IT Consultant
"One of the most illuminating books I have ever read."
Jordan Gabriels
Lead PM, Culture AMP
About the book
We often think we have a decision-making problem, but what we have is an action-taking problem.
The reason we often do not do what we want (such as learning a new habit), or do what we do not want (such as eating one more slice of cake) is that the part of the brain which takes decisions and the part of the brain which decides what orders to send our muscles are different.
In this book, author and researcher Luca Dellanna explains why it's so hard to change our habits and what to do about it. He also covers many apparently irrational behaviors and the perceptual illusions that cause them.
What's inside
- A split brain
the part of the brain which takes decisions and the part of the brain which decides what orders to send our muscles are different.
- The gating rules
that determine whether we act according to our plans.
- How to change our conditioning
to enable us to take actions we keep procrastinating.
- Brain Inc.
How the brain doesn't take decisions as a single entity but rather as multiple independent areas of the brain each acting on its individual knowledge and incentives – just like companies do not take decisions as a single entity but rather it's their manager who take decisions, each based on what they individually know and on their individual incentives.
- Why we have moods
and why it's good to be moderately moody.
- The Control Heuristic
the overarching algorithm detrmining our behavior.
- And much more…
About the author
Luca Dellanna is the author of more than ten books. He is a researcher in adaptive systems and a management advisor.
Luca has also been teaching risk management and related topics for over ten years at the University of Genoa (as an external lecturer), and frequently gives guest lectures at many public and private institutions.
He has been a speaker at some of the most prestigious conferences and podcasts, such as Nudgestock (the largest behavioral sciences conference) and Econtalk (twice). He has been featured on The Spectator and other famous newspapers.
Luca lives in Turin, Italy, though he also frequently spends time in Singapore.
Part of Luca's portfolio / trusted by leaders at…
Luca is fluent in EN, IT, FR, ES, and has experience in the following industries: agricultural, automotive, banking, chemical, consulting, consumer services, electronics, fast-moving consumer goods, finance, fintech, food, hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, professional services, retail, semiconductors, software, and tech.
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Xavier Faure
Founder, Spring Invest
"Luca is an extraordinary, insightful, thought-provoking author. He's one of those people who can explain anything in a simple way, and does so to prodigious effect."
Sebastian Steele
PM, Flexciton
"Working with Luca was fantastic! He was straightforward and well-prepared, pinpointing numerous opportunities I had overlooked in my business plan. I wholeheartedly recommend him."
Christopher Samulliah
Tech Lead, CGS Digital
"Really helpful, I'm a different person… [Luca's work] fundamentally affected the way I communicate with people."
Daniel Webb
CEO, Cobwebb
"Luca's approach to risk management is novel and applicable to one's personal life beyond work. He is changing companies and lives with his ground-breaking approach. With him risk management is a tool to grow faster, not some non-value-adding bureaucracy."
Iñigo Alonso
Program Manager, Medtronic
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Head of Insights & Intelligence, Electrolux
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Jack R.
Manager in the financial industry
"Luca's Best Practices for Operational Excellence took my management to the next level. It's been almost a month since I started implementing the principles, but I can already say that I've noticed a significant improvement in my company's morale […] That feels amazing."
Molson Hart
CEO, Viahart
"One of the most important books I've read, period. It's short, articulate, and expansive on a singular subject matter — ergodicity, which is really the key ingredient to success in life, marriage, business, family, happiness, health, etc."
Blake Janover
CEO, Janover Inc.
"One of the smartest and most thoughtful individuals I've come across [...] His insights always stand out."
Kruno Kutnohorski
Head of Value Chain, Eplan
In the welcome email, you will find:
- ✔A guide on how to bring clarity to your teams
- ✔A 33% discount code for my book "Best Practices For Operational Excellence"
- ✔An archive of my top Twitter threads, including the ones marked with a ⭐️ that are my favorite
- ✔A digital copy of my book "The Employee Engagement Handbook", with plenty of concrete advice to increase talent retention and commitment
Part of Luca's portfolio / trusted by leaders at…
Luca is fluent in EN, IT, FR, ES, and has experience in the following industries: agricultural, automotive, banking, chemical, consulting, consumer services, electronics, fast-moving consumer goods, finance, fintech, food, hospitality, logistics, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, professional services, retail, semiconductors, software, and tech.
Read an excerpt
The Control Heuristic
"This book is like a magnificent suspension bridge, linking the science of the human brain to the practical craft of applying it in everyday life. I loved it."
Rory Sutherland
Vice-Chairman, Ogilvy