Why don’t we always prioritize what matters most—like making time for family and friends or fitting in a workout during a busy day? Emily Falk believes that understanding how our brain works can help us make better, more intentional choices.

Falk is a professor of communication, psychology, and marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she directs the Communication Neuroscience Lab. Her new book, What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change, explores how different regions of the brain shape the big and small decisions we make every day.