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1-Page Summary of The Art of Choosing
Overview
Most people like to think of themselves as rational and logical. However, we’re not completely rational or logical in our decision-making. We are highly emotional creatures who make decisions based on a combination of facts and emotions rather than just logic.
We make decisions every day, but often we don’t realize the reasons behind them. The cars we choose to drive, the careers we choose and even our political views are influenced by a long line of factors that are beyond our control. In this article, you will learn about these influences and how they affect us as well as what we can do to become better decision makers.
After reading this, you’ll know why you might not recognize the obvious; how resisting one piece of delicious candy indicates greater success in life; and what love at first sight has in common with fear.
Big Idea #1: Our choices are determined by two opposing systems: the automatic and the reflective.
How do people make decisions? Most would like to think that they weigh all the options and arrive at a rational conclusion. However, this isn’t always what happens. To study decision making, researchers put children in front of marshmallows and told them that if they waited for more than one marshmallow, then they could have two instead of just one.
The kids who chose to eat the marshmallow immediately had their subconscious brain in charge.
When the kids smelled the marshmallow (sensory stimulus), they grabbed it and ate it without thinking. This happened so fast that they did not even have time to think about their actions. The automatic system enables us to make quick decisions in dangerous situations, like jumping away from a moving car.
In one experiment, some children chose to eat the first marshmallow right away. They were ruled by their emotions and impulses. This is called the impulsive system. The impulsive system makes us act on our feelings without thinking about consequences or planning for the future. In another group of kids, 30% waited 15 minutes before eating a second marshmallow that they were promised after waiting patiently. These kids used their reflective systems instead of acting impulsively like most people do in this situation. They thought about how they would feel if they gave up the first marshmallow and decided not to give into temptation because it was too much work to resist eating it immediately. When these adults later became parents, those who had been able to wait as children developed better friendships with their spouses and raised healthier families than those who couldn’t wait as children did when offered a second treat.
The reflective system is linked to greater long-term success, but we still need the intuitive system.
Big Idea #2: We often use rules of thumb to help us make decisions, but these can be faulty.
If you’re like most people, then you’ve probably considered inviting your ex to hang out while you’re at the bar. However, it’s important to think about whether or not that’s a good idea.
We don’t always consider all the pros and cons of an option, but rather rely on rules of thumb. These heuristics save us time and energy by eliminating certain options.
Heuristics are often used to make quick decisions. For example, if you’ve had a couple of drinks, then don’t call your ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. It’s a conscious decision that helps us avoid making bad decisions when we’re tired and drunk. However, heuristics can also be unconscious and irrational. When we’re trying to make sound judgements about something important in our lives, for instance buying a tie for someone as a secret Santa gift (a color they wear often is safe), the availability bias can influence our judgement because we remember things better based on how much it excites our senses – like bright colors — so even if they wear grey ties almost every day, you’ll likely only remember the one time they wore red ties. And so when you see their disappointed face as they unwrap their new scarlet tie with Christmas lights around it instead of snowmen or reindeer (since those were more memorable), you’ll know why using heuristics sometimes leads us astray from rational thinking.
