How to Make Better Decisions



Someone once said that life is just one decision after another, and I agree. Some decisions are small, like what to wear but some are so big they'll affect us for decades to come, like choosing a career. When I'm facing a big decision, I make sure I do three things: free up my brain's bandwidth, give it the fuel it needs and get honest advice from a friend.



By eliminating the small choices in life, you save the best of your brain's ability for the really important things. When he was in office, Barack Obama removed one decision from his daily life – what to wear. It was always a grey or blue suit and a white shirt because he knew the science behind decision-making and that by wearing a kind of uniform, he'd save bandwidth for the really important choices.



Scientists studying the brain have seen that all decisions, big or small, consume the same amount of energy. A small decision takes the same amount of energy as a big one. So when you need to make really important decisions, like which university to apply to or which job offer to accept, be vigilant about not wasting energy on decisions that aren't going to make a massive difference to your life. Save your brain's bandwidth for things that really matter.



Your brain needs fuel to think just as much as your body does to move. Thanks to advanced imaging, we can watch the brain working away more clearly than ever before. It's the most complex and energy-demanding organ we have. If you're very hungry, neurotransmitters can't be produced, which results in communication between the brain's 86 billion neurons breaking down, compromising your ability to think and make good decisions. So when you need to make an important decision, make sure you're not hungry.



And I don't mean reach for the biscuit tin. Research shows that drinking plenty of water and having a slow-release carbohydrate breakfast like porridge will help you think clearly. Omega-3 is also a brilliant brain food. You can find it in oily fish and pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It doesn't mean you can't treat yourself but do try to give your brain this kind of fuel, too.



The final step is to stop the fear of loss dominating your decision-making. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman spent a decade studying human decision-making and found that in big decisions, we're generally more afraid of loss than we are motivated by gain. According to his research, this means we often pick the safest option rather than the one that will have the most positive impact on our lives.



Kahneman's got a great tip for getting over this fear of loss: Ask the advice of a friend who's not afraid to drop some truth bombs even if it means your feelings get a bit roughed-up. An objective friend can help you identify the best decision because they're not weighed down by the fear of what could be lost. In the end, the decision is always yours, but it helps to seek this kind of advice.



So the next time you're facing a big decision, free your brain from small decisions, give it really good fuel, and seek out a friend who cares more about your future than your feelings.



词汇表

free up 释放、腾出（空间或时间）

bandwidth ['bændwɪdθ] 精力，注意力的容量；带宽

fuel [ˈfjuːəl] 能量，（提供能量的）食物

eliminate [ɪˈlɪmɪˌneɪt] 消除，消灭，清除

suit [suːt] 套装，西装

uniform [ˈjuːnɪfɔː(r)m] 制服，校服

consume energy [kənˈsjuːm] 消耗能量

job offer 工作邀请，工作机会

vigilant ['vɪdʒɪlənt] 警觉的，警惕的

make a massive difference ['mæsɪv] 产生巨大的影响

advanced imaging [ədˈvɑːnst] 先进的成像技术（指高级的医学影像技术，如磁共振成像MRI）

work away 持续工作或努力

complex [ˈkɒmpleks] 复杂的，难懂的，费解的

energy-demanding [dɪˈmɑːndɪŋ] 高耗能的

neurotransmitter ['njʊərəʊtrænzmɪtə(r)] 神经递质

neuron [ˈnjʊərɒn] 神经元，神经细胞

compromise [ˈkɒmprəmaɪz] 损害，伤害；妥协

biscuit tin [ˈbɪskɪt ˌtɪn] 饼干罐，饼干盒

slow-release carbohydrate [ˌkɑː(r)bəʊˈhaɪdreɪt] 缓释碳水化合物（在消化过程中缓慢分解并持续释放能量，如全谷物和豆类）

porridge [ˈpɒrɪdʒ] 燕麦粥，麦片粥

Omega-3 [ˌəʊmɪgə 'θri:] 奥米加三脂肪酸（鱼油中多含，据信有利于人体健康）

brain food 健脑食物，健脑食品

oily fish ['ɔɪli] 富含油脂的鱼

pumpkin and sunflower seeds [ˈpʌmpkɪn] 南瓜籽和葵花籽

treat oneself [triːt] 善待自己，犒劳自己

fear of loss [lɒs] 对损失的恐惧

dominate [ˈdɒmɪneɪt] 控制，支配，影响

Nobel laureate [nəʊˈbel][ˈlɔːriət] 诺贝尔奖获得者

drop truth bombs [bɒmz] 直击真相，揭露真相

roughed-up [ˈrʌft ʌp] 被粗暴对待的，被打伤的

objective [əb'dʒektɪv]  客观的，不带个人感情的

be weighed down [weɪd] 受困扰，被拖累，被压垮

seek out 找出，寻找

💡 翻译、视频版和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进【打卡交流群】