MSS #114: The Secret to Making Decisions Effortlessly (It’s Not What You Think)

MSS #114: The Secret to Making Decisions Effortlessly (It’s Not What You Think)

15 Mar, 2025

🕒Read time: 4.0 minutes

🚀In a hurry? Cut straight to the heading “How to Make Better Decisions Using Emotion (and Logic)”- reduced read time 1.5 minutes

Decision fatigue is real.

We like to think we’re logical, rational beings carefully weighing up pros and cons, but science says otherwise.

Every choice—big or small—is actually made with emotion first, then justified with logic after the fact.

What if, instead of fighting this, you could use it to make decisions faster and with more confidence?

This week, we’ll break down the neuroscience of decision-making and give you a simple way to work with your emotions (not against them) to make better choices—without the stress.

The Science: How Emotion Runs the Show

For decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have been fascinated by decision-making.

Surely, humans—masters of reason—make choices based on careful thought, right?

Not quite.

1. The Famous Case of Phineas Gage
In 1848, railway worker Phineas Gage suffered a bizarre accident—a large iron rod shot through his skull, damaging his frontal lobe.

He survived but was no longer the same man.

His logical abilities remained intact, yet he couldn’t make decisions. Why?

The part of his brain connecting emotions to decision-making was gone. Without emotion, he was paralysed by choices.

2. The Brain Scan Studies
Modern neuroscience backs this up.

Studies using fMRI scans show that the limbic system (our emotional centre) lights up before the prefrontal cortex (our logic centre) in decision-making tasks. Your emotions decide before your conscious brain catches up.

3. Antonio Damasio’s Groundbreaking Work
In the 1990s, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio studied patients with damage to the emotion-processing areas of their brain.

Like Gage, they were unable to make decisions, even simple ones like choosing a meal.

His work led to the Somatic Marker Hypothesis—the idea that emotions attach meaning to choices, guiding us toward what “feels” right.

4. Marketing & Consumer Behaviour Studies
Ever bought something you didn’t need but justified it afterward?

That’s because research in consumer psychology proves that purchases are emotionally driven first, then rationalized. Brands don’t sell features; they sell emotions—happiness, belonging, status.

That’s fascinating, well I think so, but lets translate that into something useful we can implement.

How to Make Better Decisions Using Emotion (and Logic)

So, if emotions always call the shots, how do you make smarter choices?

The trick: Don’t fight emotion—work with it.

Here’s 4 ways you can do this.

1. Use Your Gut—But Fact-Check It

Your gut instinct is your brain running years of subconscious experience through a filter of emotions.

It’s often right, but not always.

Before acting on a strong gut feeling, ask:

• “Where is this feeling coming from?”

• “Do I have real evidence for this, or am I reacting to fear/excitement?”

If it’s a factual answer you are looking for, if your gut has a strong view, its probably right.

Our minds record all that has happened to us. So if you see a quiz question with multiple choice and you get a gut reaction which is correct, its highly likely you have heard or seen this fact before, its stored away deep in your memory.

The gut reaction is the older (evolutionary speaking) part of your brain effectively yelling ‘I know the answer, we have heard this before, its this one’.

2. Play the Emotional Time Machine Game

Your emotions today might be different tomorrow. So, ask:

• “How will I feel about this choice in a month?”

• “Would my future self thank me for this?”

  This technique forces your brain to move beyond instant gratification.

The interesting thing is its our logical brain, the prefrontal cortex, that can consider past and future thinking.

The part of the brain responsible for emotion can only work in ‘now’ time frame.

So, this approach uses both the logical, rational brain as well as the irrational part of the brain.

3. Flip the Script with Reverse Decision-Making

Having trouble choosing? Pretend you’ve already made the decision and observe how you feel. Regretful? Relieved? Your emotions will expose what you truly want.

This taps straight into our unconscious brain, that only understands the concept of ‘now’

This also uses all your knowledge, wisdom and experience in making this decision.

4. Logic as a Tool, Not the Driver

Once you recognise your emotional response, use logic to refine, not override. 

Instead of asking, “What’s the logical choice?” ask, “How can I make the best emotional decision more practical?”

In most decisions after our emotional brain has decided for us, our logical brain justifies the decision for us.

Use logical thinking to make sure the practical requirements of a decision are met.

Summary

Emotion isn’t the enemy of decision-making—it’s the boss.

Whether we like it or not, our feelings shape every choice, big or small.

Want to make better decisions?

Work with your emotions, not against them.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

• All decisions are made emotionally first, then justified with logic.

• Neuroscience proves this through case studies and brain scans.

• Your gut instinct is powerful but should always be checked with facts.

• Using future-thinking strategies reduces impulsive decision-making.

• Logic should refine your emotional decisions—not control them.

Next time you catch yourself crafting a logical argument for a choice you already “feel” is right—just smile. You’ve just witnessed your brain in action.

See you next week for more insights! 🚀

See you next week. One more thought 👇

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading, really hope this helped. Contact me if you think I can help you further at [email protected].

Happy thinking.