Ridge Insights - March 2009
Virtual Teamwork
Ridge Insights A monthly e-brief from Ridge Training
Date: March 24, 2009
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WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT: EMOTIONS AND DECISION MAKING
As circumstances at work and in the world change quickly, we're confronted with difficult decisions: challenging interpersonal problems at work, tough financial issues, and changes in staffing or employment, to name just a few. What can we do to make the best decisions in stressful times? What can we do to help others make difficult decisions? What are some of the factors at play in team decision-making?
When the best choice seems unclear, people struggle with many conflicting feelings, and then--when they can no longer stand it--they decide. Feelings seem to get in the way, making the process more difficult and agonizing. Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, explains that feelings have an important role to play in helping the brain make a sound decision. Gut instinct is smarter than you think.
Jonah Lehrer became interested in the effect of emotions on decision making when he stood in front of the cereal aisle for over 30 minutes one day, unable to decide which of the ten different kinds of Cheerios to buy: honey nut? multigrain? yogurt burst? plain? It was a classic case of paralysis by analysis. With too many options, the part of his brain relegated to logical decision-making (the frontal cortex) was overwhelmed. Lehrer explained that when wracked with indecision, most people try to "force a settlement" and overrule the emotions. Yet Lehrer found that emotions shorten decision-making time dramatically, with the help of another part of the brain, the amygdala.
Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio researched patients who, as a result of brain cancer surgery, have an amygdala that is impaired in communicating with the rest of the brain. With Daniel Goleman's work on emotional intelligence, the amygdala has gained some notoriety. It's the part of our brain that encourages fight or flight when we feel attacked. Its job is to assign emotions to sensory input. You would think that, freed from the amygdala's power, people would decide easily and well. Yet the opposite is true. These patients, as Lehrer says, are "pathologically indecisive." And when they do make decisions, they make poor ones, resulting in financial losses, poor job performance, and even broken marriages.
The amygdala, as it turns out, has a critical role in decision making. While the brain considers a choice, the amygdala advises, "This is how that choice would feel." The amygdala works quickly to help the brain discard poor choices and focus on the best options. Emotions, it turns out, don't get in the way of decision making but are essential to making good decisions.
Once you know this, you can use emotions and gut reactions to your advantage. Pay heed to those emotions when you're unsure. You can also use this information when others come to you for counsel. Listen to the feelings they have about different options, not just the solutions themselves. Finally, in team settings, invite people to listen to their gut feelings about team decisions,and express their concerns as well as their hunches.
As Blaise Pascal famously said, "The heart has its reasons which reason does not know." Don't let emotions rule the day, but let them tell the tale of what they know. Treat the emotions as another data point. Use them to dig deeper, and help you make the best decision in difficult times.
RESOURCES:
Interview with Jonah Lehrer:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101334645
A clear, concise description of the amygdala's role (for lay people):
http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/experience_bleu04.html
Antonio Damasio's web page: http://www.usc.edu/programs/neuroscience/faculty/profile.php?fid=27
Another interesting perspective on decision making comes from Barry Schwartz, Ph.D., whose book, The Paradox of Choice, shows how more options actually lead to dissatisfaction:
www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html
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Copyright 2009 - Ridge Associates, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2009 Ridge Associates, Inc. All Rights Reserved.