Making Decisions.
A lot of people have trouble making decisions, and it's something that impacts their personal, professional and consumer lives. Decisions are tough because they involve one or more unknowns. We can’t know in advance what the consequences of each alternative will be.
Usually what consumers do in such situations is freeze. Even when they don’t like what you have, they may worry that the alternatives are worse. In a way every decision we make involves a choice between maintaining the status quo vs. making a change. When we can’t be certain a change will work out for the better, by default we stay put.
That’s called fear.
All humans experience fear. Without this innate ability we would probably not survive well, let alone long. And while there have always been heroes and cowards, thrill-seekers and couch potatoes, we all have one thing in common: a small, almond-shaped part of our brain called the amygdala.
Why do we avoid going into that dark cave? Keep a safe distance from the cliff edge?
Try not to touch the hot stove twice? Decide we’re quite satisfied with our current brand of ______, thank you very much?
For more information on “Making Decisions” visit
http://alexandralevit.typepad.com/watercooler/2007/07/decision-making.html
Or, visit: http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/opre640/partXIII.htm#rdecido
If you’re curious about how the amygdala works, visit http://www.biopsychiatry.com/amygdala.htm
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