People tend to dislike uncertainty and risk – two things that are hard to avoid completely during a pandemic. That’s part of why it can feel especially draining to make even small decisions these days.
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Articles on Decisions
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It’s human nature to unconsciously rely on quick rules to help make spur-of-the-moment decisions. New research finds physicians use these shortcuts, too, which can be bad news for some patients.
For each decision we make, we assign a certain level of confidence. How does the brain decide how much?
How you respond to a risk depends on how you weigh the costs and benefits of an action. The problem is you’re not just a logical computer, and emotions bias your interpretation of the facts.
A transcript of episode 14 of The Conversation Weekly podcast, including how people make their life’s biggest decisions.
Plus, a psychologist on how we look back at our big decisions in life. Listen to episode 14 of The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Cognitive scientists are investigating the ways relative factors like new options and the order they’re presented influence your choices and beliefs.
Psychological research presents some unsurprising wisdom about how to make big decisions without regret: focus on people, don’t miss opportunities, and stay true to yourself.
Leading tech companies are increasingly using AI to influence our behaviour. But how persuasive do we find virtual assistants?
During Mental Health Week, let’s look at why some people, such as those experiencing depression or substance dependency, struggle to make decisions like everyone else.
Is it safe to nip out for milk? Should I download the COVIDSafe app? Is it OK to wear my pyjamas in a Zoom meeting? All these extra decisions are taking their toll.
Emergency responders and military personnel need to think creatively – even imaginatively – to save lives under pressure. Analyzing the Grenfell Tower Fire in London reveals useful lessons.
Our everyday lives are full of decision dilemmas. To understand why we make particular choices, scientists investigate how our brain deals with uncertainty.
New research confirms that people tend to rush to judgment, in spite of believing their own decisions and those of others are carefully based on lots of evidence and data. And that can be good or bad.
Commentators always like to imagine what players could have done better – we’re using AI to prove it.
Research has shown that the most successful basketball coaches resist pressure to make changes during games. Choosing not to make a move is sometimes also the right call for business leaders.
A new initiative called the International Brain Laboratory is tackling this fundamental mystery of neuroscience in an unusual way.
Going through the experience of regret can have a positive outcome.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of Technology Sydney
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Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine
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Professor, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Queen's University, Ontario
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FAPESP-Postdoctoral Researcher at the Laboratory of Structural Biology and Zoochemistry, IB/RC (UNESP), University of São Paulo State
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Professor of Cognitive Psychology, UNSW Sydney
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Director of the Centre for Critical and Major Incident Psychology, University of Liverpool
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Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
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Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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UQ Amplify Researcher, The University of Queensland
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Associate Professor, Queen's University, Ontario
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Lecturer, Institute for Digital Technologies, Loughborough University
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Postdoctoral fellow - Champalimaud Foundation, Fundación Champalimaud
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Postdoctoral Researcher at Harris Public Policy, University of Chicago
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Director, Center for Terrorism and Security Studies; Assistant Professor of Criminology and Justice Studies, UMass Lowell
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Postdoctoral researcher, École normale supérieure (ENS) – PSL
