Our days are filled with a constant stream of decisions. Most are
mundane, but some are so important that they can haunt you for the rest
of your life.
A recent study from Columbia University found that we’re bogged down by more than 70 decisions a day.
A new study from the University of Texas shows that even when our
brains aren’t tired, they can make it very difficult for us to make good
decisions. When making a decision, instead of referencing the knowledge
we’ve accumulated, our brains focus on specific, detailed memories.
For example, if you’re buying a new car and trying to decide if you
should go for the leather seats, even though you know you can’t afford
it, your brain might focus on memories of the wonderful smell and feel
of the leather seats in your brother’s sports car, when it should be
focused on the misery you’re going to experience when making your
monthly car payments. Since you don’t have memories of this yet, it’s a
hard thing for your brain to contemplate.
Some decisions are minor, such as what to eat, which route to drive
to work, or in what order to tackle tasks; others are more difficult,
such as choosing between two job offers, whether to move to a new city
for someone you love, or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life.
Regardless of the magnitude of the decision, our brains make it hard
for us to keep the perspective we need to make good choices.
Bronnie Ware spent her career as a palliative care nurse, working
exclusively with people who were 3 to 12 months from death. She made a
habit of asking them about their greatest regrets, and she heard the
same five regrets time and time again. By studying these regrets, you
can make certain that you make good choices and don’t fall victim to
them yourself.
They wish they hadn’t made decisions based on what other people think. When you make your decisions based on other people’s opinions, two things tend to happen:
