DECISION TOOL BOX

Our brain is like a tool box with random tools.  You take out one particular tool to solve a specific problem. The problem with decision making is how to use so many tools to solve an interrelated problem. Our brains don’t have requisite neurons to represent every situation that we might possibly encounter. Often our decisions are coloured with emotions. Neuroscientists say that the rational mind vacillates endlessly over possible rational reasons. Extremely emotional decisions also lead to wrong decisions. We do mental simulations for many different actions before we actually take a decision. Some parts in our brain place a value on what we see. We assign a value to different options we observe. Rewards are often the major parameter that affects our decisions. We develop a tendency to manipulate our decisions in the hope of better rewards. There are no set of universal laws of decision-making.  Our behaviour is adaptive when we make choices. We try to learn things before making a choice. Among others, we learn by trial-and-error. We accumulate evidence for or against different choice options, evaluate their possible outcomes and risks, and suppress certain learned responses and biases. Decisions taken in a happy state of mind are happy decisions. Trustworthy decisions emanate from a trustworthy mind. Both the ‘cold reasons’ and ‘hot emotions’ are needed to make  ‘right decisions’.