Making decisions: psychology

In short: Decisions are influenced by rational considerations, emotions and unconscious thinking patterns. Understanding your own decision processes leads to more conscious decisions.

In more detail: Psychologist Daniel Kahneman distinguishes fast, intuitive thinking from slow, analytical thinking.

In detail

• Two systems: Intuition delivers fast but error-prone judgements, analysis is slower but more accurate.
• Decision fatigue: Many decisions in a row worsen the quality of later decisions.
• Too many options: A large choice can make deciding harder instead of easier.
• Decision matrix: Weight criteria and systematically compare options.
• Gut feeling: In familiar areas, experience-based intuition can be helpful.
• Reducing time pressure: Avoid making important decisions under stress where possible.
• Knowing biases: Knowledge of cognitive biases improves decision quality (kognitive-verzerrungen-im-alltag).