How are decisions effected

by emotion?
Emotions are created when the brain interprets what’s going on around us through our
memories, thoughts, and beliefs. This triggers how we feel, and behave. All our decisions
are influenced by this process in some way.

For example, if you’re feeling happy, you might decide to walk home via a sunny park.
But if you’d been chased by a dog as a child, that same sunny park might trigger feelings
of fear, and you’d take the bus instead. There may be logical arguments to be made
either way, but in the moment, the decision is driven by your emotional state.

Different emotions effect decisions in different ways. If you’re feeling sad, you might be
more willing to settle for things that aren’t in your favor, such as not putting yourself
forward for promotion, or remaining in an unhealthy relationship. But sadness can also
make you more generous — research shows that unhappy people are more likely to be in
favor of increasing benefits to welfare recipients than angry people, who are lacking in
empathy.

Emotions can effect not just the nature of the decision, but the speed at which you make
it. Anger can lead to impatience, and rash decision-making. If you’re excited, you might
make quick decisions without considering the implications, as you surf the wave of
confidence, and optimism about the future. While if you feel afraid, your decisions may
be clouded by uncertainty, and caution, and it might take you longer to choose.

What this means is that your gut feeling plays a huge part in our decision making
process, but at times may be steering you wrong — it might lead to poor judgment,
unconscious bias and recklessness, or risk-aversion. But are there ever occasions when
we should pay attention to our gut instinct?

Ever look back at some of the terrible decisions you've made and

wondered, what was I thinking? Well there's actually a chance you weren't

thinking. Instead, you may have acting on emotion, not logic.

Whether you dated an attractive person who treated you horribly, or you

wasted a lot of money on a really bad investment, your feelings can lead you
astray if you're not careful. The more intense your emotions, the more your

judgment may grow clouded.

The best decisions are made when there's a careful balance between emotions

and logic. When your emotions are running high, your logic will be low,

which can lead to irrational decisions.

Here are four ways your emotions can cloud your judgment:

1. Excitement can cause you to overestimate your chances of success.

There's a reason why casinos use bright lights and loud noises - they want

you to get excited. The more excited you feel, the more likely you'll be to

spend large amounts of money.

When you feel really excited about something, you are more likely to

underestimate a risk. Whether you're taking out a large loan for a thrilling

opportunity, or you're betting all your money on an impressive horse, you'll

be more likely to underestimate your risk when you're feeling excited.

2. Anxiety in one area of your life spills over into other areas.

If you're anxious about something going on in your personal life - perhaps

you're worried about a health scare or you're nervous about buying a new

home - it can cause you to feel anxious over your business decisions. Even
though the situations are completely unrelated, research shows you'll likely

have trouble separating the two.

Anxiety over one specific issue can linger. When you're feeling nervous, you

may refuse to create change or you may struggle to make decisions. As a

result, your thinking is likely to be clouded.

3. Feelings of sadness can cause you to settle.

Research shows you're likely to set your goals really low when you're feeling

sad. In one study, participants were asked to sell various objects. Participants

who felt sad set their prices lower than the other participants. Researchers

suspect sadness led them to set the bar low, in hopes that achieving their goal

would improve their mood.

Creating low expectations for yourself can prevent you from reaching your

greatest potential. You may decide not to apply for that promotion or you

may not negotiate for what you want all because you're feeling down.

4. Anger and embarrassment can lead to taking a long shot.

Intense emotions can lead to rash decisions, if you're not careful. Anger and

embarrassment may make you particularly vulnerable to high-risk, low pay-

off choices. Researchers suspect intense uncomfortable emotions impair self-

regulation skills.
Of course, when you're feeling really emotional, your risks can become self-

destructive. When those big risks don't pay off, your anger and

embarrassment are likely to intensify.

Balance Emotion and Logic

Emotions certainly play an important role in the decision making process.

Anxiety can keep you from making a poor choice and boredom can ignite a

spark that leads you to follow your passion.

To make balanced choices, acknowledge your emotions. Pay attention to the

way your feelings and recognize how those emotions may distort your

thinking and influence your behavior.

Raise your logic and decrease your emotional reactivity by listing the pros

and cons of a tough decision. Seeing the facts on paper can help you think

more rationally about your options and prevent your emotions from getting

the best of you.

https://www.bachremedies.com/en-us/emotional-health-blog/how-do-our-emotions-affect-

decision-making#:~:text=Anger%20can%20lead%20to%20impatience%2C%20and%20rash

%20decision%2Dmaking.&text=What%20this%20means%20is%20that,recklessness%2C%20or

%20risk%2Daversion.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201602/4-ways-
emotions-can-screw-your-decisions

extra

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/the-best-headspace-for-making-
decisions/500423/

https://www.bachremedies.com/en-us/emotional-health-blog/can-you-improve-your-emotional-
intelligence

extra

https://exploringyourmind.com/feelings-influence-decision-making/