Just as you need the accelerator and the brake pedals in a car to drive, so do you need your Heart and your Head both equally, while making a decision

In my previous post on Decision Making, I talked about how, whether we like it or not – decisions have to be made every moment of our lives. Multitude of these decisions are made without our conscious awareness, in our day to day lives – almost like the brain is not involved in routine decisions, which have become semi-reflex actions. Contrary to this, there are other life changing decisions, we mull over – the ones which are not real-time with more consequences. This is when the 2 competing decision zones in our selves start a dialogue and a debate, to arrive at a decision – The Head and the Heart. The Heart generates feelings – often very strong and raw; while Head generates thoughts – always logical and factual.

Any decision driven entirely by any one of the 2 competing decision zones will always be sub-optimal. It may appear that buying a house, changing your job, buying a new car, taking an existing relationship to the next level – are owned by either one, the Head or the Heart — Not true. The Heart should always be involved in any pure Head decisions. How do you feel about your decision? What does your gut tell you? Remember the wise saying – Always listen to your heart/gut? In the same way, a pure Heart only decision should be tempered by some factual and objective analysis – often referred to as a reality check

Although the Heart is your repository of all your feelings — decision making is largely determined by how you feel at the decision making moment. This is why a Heart based decision should be overseen by the Head – so that the current feeling does not override the decision process.

I came across the following material in my readings, if you choose to dig deeper on this subject. Thinking Fast and Slow is a best-selling book published in 2011 by Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics laureate Daniel Kahneman. He describes two modes of thought: “System 1” is fast, instinctive and emotional; (a.k.a. the Heart) “System 2” is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. (a.k.a. the Head)

Bottom-line, be consciously aware that although a particular decision point may appear to be entirely a Head or Heart one – there is no such thing. You cannot drive through life, with just the accelerator or the brake pedals …. You need both.