Top 10 Tips To Make Better Decisions

Decisions, decisions! There are many decisions that we make in our lives. They range from the mundane and routine ones, such as what to wear, or what to take for dinner, to the most important life-altering ones like whether we are getting married, to whom, and what job to do and how we educate our children. We jealously guard our right to make choices. It is the core of our individuality and the definition of freedom will. However, sometimes, we make poor decisions that result in regret or make us feel discontent. Can science help?

Making the right decisions requires us to weigh the seemingly opposing forces of rationality and emotion. We need to be able anticipate the future, clearly perceive the present situation, have knowledge of the thoughts of others and deal with the uncertainty. Clicking here for more information about FS 2048 right now.

The majority of us are unaware of the brain processes that lie behind our decisions, but this has become the subject of much research and, fortunately, the research psychologists and neurobiologists are discovering could aid us in making better choices. We've collected some of their fascinating discoveries in the New Scientist guide to helping you make the right choice.

Do not be afraid of the consequences

Whether it's choosing between a long-term trip to Paris or going to the slopes for skiing, a new car versus a bigger house, or even who to marry, nearly every decision we take involves forecasting the future. We can imagine what our future could be like, how it will feel and the "hedonic" or emotional results of our decisions. In reality, we tend to go for the option that we think will make us the happiest overall.

Go with your gut instincts

While it's tempting to believe that you need to spend time weighing all of the pros and cons, sometimes an instinctive decision or quick decision can be just as effective.

Consider your emotions

While it is possible to believe that emotions can be detrimental to making decisions, they are vital for it. Our basic emotions evolved to allow us to make rapid and unconscious choices in situations that threaten our survival. Fear triggers fight or flight, while disgust leads to avoidance. However, the role played by emotions in decision-making goes way deeper than the knee-jerk reaction. If you are making a decision in your mind your limbic system brain's emotional center is in action. Neurobiologist Antonio Damasio from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has studied people with damage to only the emotional components of their brains. He discovered that they were afflicted by uncertainty, and unable to make even the most basic decisions for example, like what to wear or eating. Damasio suggests that this could be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to inform present decisions.

Play the Devil's Advocate

Did you have a heated disagreement with someone regarding controversial issues like the death penalty or immigration and been frustrated because they relied on evidence to back their claims and conveniently ignored anything in the opposite direction? This is called confirmation bias. It can be a source of frustration for others however it is a fact that we all are susceptible to this bias when we consider the evidence that will inform our decisions.

Keep an eye on the ball

Our judgements and choices have a strange and disconcerting tendency to be entangled with random or insignificant numbers and facts.

Don't get upset about milk that has spilled.

It's not too strange? You're at a pricey restaurant and the food is delicious however, you've consumed so much food that you're feeling sick. Although you know you should stop eating the remainder of your desserts, you're feeling like you must consume them all, despite growing nausea.

Consider it in a different way

Take a look at this scenario. If you do nothing, your home town will be hit by a deadly illness that can kill up to 600 people. To stop it, select either program A, which could help 200 people or B that has an one-in-three chance of saving 600 lives, but also a two-in-three chance of not saving anyone. Which would you rather?

Beware of social pressure

You might think of yourself as a single-minded individual and certainly not the type of person to let others influence you however the reality is that nobody is invincible to pressure from social. Numerous studies have shown that even the normal and well-adjusted, and normal people are influenced by people of authority and their peers to make terrible choices.

Limit your choices

While you might think that you have more choices over less, Starbucks is a good example. However, consider these results. When you're offered too many options to invest their retirement will be less likely to invest any point; and they get more satisfaction from selecting one of the chocolates from a list of five than when they pick the same sweet from a selection of thirty.

Let someone else take the decision

It's easy to believe that it is better to be in control of our lives rather than having someone else make the decision for us. However, sometimes, regardless of what the outcome of a decisionis, the actual decision-making process can cause us to feel unsatisfied. It might be better to surrender control.