Every day, we spend time making decisions. From what to eat to how many hours of sleep we want to get, everything comes with a choice.

The average person makes about 35,000 decisions daily—that number increases with more responsibility.

The question is this: Are your decisions good ones?

How We Make Decisions

For decades, philosophers and researchers have wondered about the brain and decision-making. Many studies have been done, and slowly but surely, we are getting a better idea of choices and the brain.

Circuits and Choices

The general belief about decision-making has always been that it takes place in the frontal cortex of the brain, but a study at Yale University expanded on these ideas some more.

Researchers found that when a person has to make a choice, three circuits are active, but they are spread throughout the brain.

The first circuit helps to make good decisions, the second is responsible for making bad decisions, and the third decides which of those choices should be captured as memories to be used in later decisions.

Individuals who are emotionally charged, have a mental illness, or have some kind of cognitive impairment tend to switch off the circuit for good decisions more easily and rely heavily on the emotions from previous memories.

Unconscious Decision-Making

Most of the decisions you make during the day happen automatically because you’ve trained your brain in a certain way. It happens when you swerve to miss an obstacle in the road or smile at a friend.

These decisions occur rapidly because your brain learned from previous experiences or what you’ve been taught.

One study found that a final decision can be made up to 10 seconds before you become aware of it. It happens because your brain’s networks are processing information already before you actively think about the outcome.

Cognitive Overload

Even if most decisions happen unconsciously, they still take mental energy to figure out. It can be tiring to make choice after choice.

It’s planning meals, deciding what to wear, which road to take to work, and what exercise you are going to do. All of those ideas are enough to make you tired already.

After about 75 decisions, your brain needs a rest. It needs to recharge, but many of us don’t give it time to. It causes frustration and emotional outbursts instead of rational thinking.

Tapping Into Networks

Since many decisions are made unconsciously, you have to consider the impact of what you have learned and experienced previously because it affects your neural networks.

You want your networks to be strong and constructive so that unconscious choices are reliable. The best way to do this is to strengthen your neural networks so that they act for good.

Learn how to do this at the Brain-A-Thon. It’s the event of the year that will help you to understand and improve your brain.

The Consequences of Hard Choices 

Throughout your life, you will also be faced with conscious decisions. There are situations where you have to engage your mind actively to make hard choices.

You may have to decide to cut a close friend from your life, to leave a job, or to end an unhealthy relationship. It’s tough to make these decisions—even if they are good choices that will benefit you.

Previous Experiences and Knowledge

When you have to make a tough decision, you start to list the pros and cons, you perceive the situation from various perspectives, and you may even do research.

It’s normal to reflect on similar situations from the past; to look for benefits and consequences; and to consider how things could have gone differently if you had made an alternative choice.

Failure and Consequences

With every choice, but especially the difficult ones, feelings of failure may arise.

Pouring someone a glass of fruit juice when they wanted coffee could already elicit feelings of disappointment and failure. Now imagine the emotions associated with cutting someone from your life or quitting a job that others think is an amazing opportunity.

Those decisions are hectic—you don’t make them lightly.

They can leave you feeling vulnerable. You may wonder what other people will think or believe you failed—even if the decision allows you to live a healthier, more fulfilling life.

An example of this is when you quit your stable job to become an entrepreneur. You may feel you failed your parents, colleagues, or family because you aren’t sticking on the planned career trajectory. However, you are taking control of your future and doing something to advance yourself.

The Benefits

When feelings of doubt, failure, and consequences creep in, you have to consider the positives. You have to adjust your mindset so that you can remain on track and be steadfast in your decision.

It’s the exact reason why it helps to write a list of pros and cons. Many times, you will realize the benefits far outweigh the negatives (even if they are serious ones).

Your History Shapes Your Thinking

What you have gone through in the past, including your education, affects how you think about yourself and your relationship with the world around you. It can be beneficial or hold you hostage.

Let go of the past and rewrite your story by using your brain differently from before. Join us at the Brain-A-Thon and find out how your brain is shaping your reality.

Good Choices Aren’t Easy

Tough decisions like the ones in the previous example can be difficult to make, but in the end, they are to your benefit—they improve your life overall.

Even with this knowledge, you might still feel like a failure, have guilt, or struggle with anxiety.

The Emotional Side

Your emotions can affect your decisions; they might even overrule logical thinking. Usually, there are two kinds of emotions that pop up with big decisions.

Anticipated emotions are how you expect you may feel if a decision goes a certain way. The idea of becoming an entrepreneur could motivate you to open a business while the idea of public speaking could scare you so much that you don’t do it.

Immediate emotions are how you feel while thinking about a decision. They can be so overwhelming that you stray toward the negative. For example, the idea of climbing on a mountain brings on a fear of heights so intense that you don’t even think about the benefits.

Adding Rationale

If you can set your emotions aside, then you can think rationally. You start to consider the benefits and not just the consequences.

It’s at this stage that you think of making lists, doing research, and determining how the decision can affect the rest of your life.

The Final Verdict

Decision-making creates a battle between your head and your heart, especially if it’s a difficult decision.

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed or emotional about decisions, but you need to be able to take a step back and realize that emotional thinking isn’t the right way to go.

You have to think logically so that you can train your brain. Use the right networks so that your final decision is the best one for your life.

Dealing With Uncomfortable Decisions 

Difficult choices are uncomfortable ones. They make you feel unsettled, full of emotion, and make you question your thinking. Dealing with these feelings allows you to make better decisions.

Switching off Negative Thoughts

Emotions can breed resentment and negative thoughts. It festers and switches off logical thinking.

You have to learn how to switch on your positive thoughts, calm your neural networks, and silence negative thoughts. Only when you do this can you do better with your choices.

A Vision of Success

Another way to change your thinking about a specific circumstance is to consider how it affects your future.

Think about what you want from your life and how your current circumstances allow you to achieve your dreams. If they are stopping you, then you may need to make a change.

Now, imagine what your future would be like if you made the opposite decision. Would it allow you to make your vision come true more easily?

Think Better With Innercise™

Innercise™ describes exercises for your mind. They help you to think clearly because they allow you to use the right networks in your mind.

Doing Innercise™ frequently makes it easier to create new neural pathways while breaking down destructive ones. It helps you to build habits for a better life.

To get you started, try the Innercise™ in this video, which will help you differentiate between logic and emotions.

Become Comfortable in Your Own Mind

Decisions, just like many things in life, can be uncomfortable. Speaking in front of other people, changing careers, or getting outside your comfort zone are just some of these scenarios.

If you can become comfortable with your mind, then it will spill over to other areas of your life. You will learn to trust yourself.

This isn’t something unmanageable. We’ve helped thousands of people to do it before, so similar strategies will work for you.

Register now for the Brain-A-Thon and get the inside scoop on all things neuroscience from some of the world’s leading brain experts.