The Psychology of Why We Make Irrational Decisions
Why do we often ignore hard data and be guided by intuition when making a decision? This is especially true when it comes to assessing the likelihood of something. Is our brain really mediocre when it comes to numbers, or is there a reason for our erroneous instincts?
In this TED-Ed video, Sarah Garofalo explains why we make decisions that don’t really make logical sense. It all comes down to heuristics, your brain’s quick and easy approach to problem solving based on your previous experience. In other words, you need to act intuitively. But your “gut” doesn’t really take into account the rigid logic and mathematics of every situation and is subject to various cognitive biases .
If these mental shortcuts are mediocre enough to make the right call, then why do we have them at all, you ask? Because the complex solutions of the modern world are different from the environment in which we developed. (The decision to flee from a potential predator prioritizes speed, for example, even if the predator turns out to be harmless.) Luckily, we have time to make tough decisions, so whenever you’re dealing with numbers, probabilities, and lots of detail, take a second. to consider if your instinct is actually right.
The Psychology of Irrational Decisions – Sarah Garofalo | TED-Ed