Emotions

Some years back, I observed that a surprising number of decisions are based on emotions more than logic.

Which is unusual for me, as I’ve always thought of myself as a pretty left-brained guy.

The truth is that humans are remarkably driven by stuff we think of as “illogical”. But emotions aren’t opposed to rational thinking – in fact they are what have helped the human race survive for millennia in a challenging world. We just don’t like to admit it.

Emotions are often the way that we internalize our reactions. It’s based on instinct, situational awareness, and past experience.

The first time a friend leaves you hanging, you think through what might have happened and how you should respond. Then your Lizard Brain takes over to let you know that it’ll help make sure this doesn’t happen again. So it sets up an awareness pattern for future situations which might look similar, and generates some uncomfortable alarm bells when you’re getting close.

That’s helpful, because you’ll tend to notice warning signs earlier. The problem is that the emotion may be one of general unease, so your logical brain doesn’t know what to do about it. Except pay attention.

So emotions are indeed a useful part of decision making. They just can’t be the only part.