Balancing Emotion and Reason in Decision Making: The Interplay of Conscious and Unconscious Systems

The neuroscience of decision making

This post is a very short introduction to the neuroscience of decision making and it is based on the information from the resource’s bottom part. There are many theories, I choose to present the one below because it is easier for me to understand how our brain works and what it is important for me as a facilitator to take care related to this.

How are we taking decisions?

We have 2 decision-making systems: conscious and unconscious.

We use our unconscious system most of the time to take decisions, after which our conscious mind makes up a rational explanation to justify the decision.

The conscious system weighs the long-term perspective of decisions, while the unconscious system balances the risks and rewards of our decisions.

The unconscious system uses a single currency to compare potential rewards: dopamine.

The unconscious system can be right before our conscious mind because it integrates more parameters and is associative, but it can also be subject to biases.

Both systems provide different and valuable perspectives, and it is essential to check if both are aligned when taking an important decision.

In “The Happiness Hypothesis” book of J.Haidt, the metaphor 🐘Elephant and Rider is explained.

In his book, J.Haidt associates the conscious decision system with the Rider and the unconscious system with the Elephant. If you want to deep dive more into the insights of the “Elephant and Rider” metaphor mentioned in the book in resources, check out this post.

Facts:

• We take 90% of our decisions using the “automated” system, the unconscious system. If we would not automate for example simple body functions like breathing then we would be overwhelmed with so many thoughts to handle.

• While the unconscious system can manage multiple tasks, the conscious one manages a single task.

• Solving complex problems or taking complex decisions can be done only with the help of the conscious system.

Examples:

• When you are at a crosswalk and have to cross the street and see a car coming towards you the unconscious system is taking immediate control over the risk and helps you react automatically.

• When you need to take complex decisions like which career fits you better, or you are in school and learning something, the conscious system needs to be in control.

I find it relevant to know for example in a workshop setting where decisions are made how our brain works and how we take decisions and support your participants in this regard.

One-phrase summary:

Decision-making depends on the conversation between emotion and reason.

Resources:

• Mindarchitect.ro Podcast

• The book “The Happiness Hypothesis” by J. Haidt

• The NeuroMindfulness Institute

• Brain Food about decision making (Romanian podcast)

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