If you saw a shark while swimming in the ocean as a child, you might be hesitant to swim in the ocean as an adult.

Past experienceĪnother factor that may influence how you make a decision is what happened the last time you were faced with a similar situation.Įven if the facts heavily point in one direction, you may make the opposite choice because of a past experience. But if you see a black car, you might continue driving at a higher speed, not being aware that this might also be a police vehicle. If the police vehicles in your area are blue and white, when you see a blue and white car - whether or not you know that it is a police vehicle - you might slow down your speed. You may lean towards a decision based on common assumptions rather than facts or statistics. Stereotypes can be a powerful force in decision-making. It might be easier to pick up something quick and easy, even though it might be unhealthy.īecause you’re experiencing decision fatigue, a healthier choice becomes less important. Instead of thinking something through, you may just want to “get it over with.”įor example, after a long day of work, you might not want to spend hours in the kitchen making a healthy meal. Making too many decisions in a short time can also influence your choices. It may seem nice to have plenty of choices when making a decision, but there’s such a thing as too many options.Ī 2015 review shows that with choice overload, the stress of too many choices can make you more likely to avoid picking anything at all. The dealer has set a starting price, and even though you may think the car is worth less, you may stay close to the number you saw at the start without even being aware you’re doing it. Anchoring biasĪnchoring bias is another type of bias in decision-making that can cause you to stick close to a starting point.Īn example of this can be found when purchasing cars. In some cases, it may feel easier to not make any decision at all. You may stick with what you know because it’s comforting, even if it’s not in your best interests. Status quo bias is a type of bias that suggests people prefer to stick to what they know. This process, dubbed “prospect theory” by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in a 1979 research paper, reveals you’re more likely to make a decision because you’re afraid to lose something, rather than because you have a chance to gain something. If you feel overwhelmed and frozen when faced with a decision, it can be because you’re afraid of what you will lose. For most people, there are a mixture of factors that might influence our decisions. Making a decision is rarely as simple as understanding pros and cons.

I make bad decisions