Wellbeing

🧠 Why Our Brains Take Shortcuts — And How to Make Better Decisions

🔍 The Brain's Shortcut System: Heuristics

• We receive millions of sensory inputs every second.
• To cope, the brain uses heuristics — mental shortcuts that:
  • Help us filter out non-essential info
  • Enable fast, efficient judgments
  • Become habitual over time

🎯 The Trap: Cognitive Bias

Like a bowling ball that always curves in one direction...

• We prefer familiar info sources.
• Algorithms and social media narrow our exposure.
• We start making oversimplified or poor decisions.
• Our field of view becomes narrower and skewed.

🧭 How to Train Your Brain for Better Decision-Making

1. 🔎Stay CuriousChallenge the obvious. Avoid the easiest path.
2. ❓Ask “What if?”Stimulate creativity and discover new possibilities.
3. ⏳Pause Before DecidingLet your thoughts “percolate” — the best ideas often come later.
4. 📚Don't Always Trust ShortcutsResearch. Verify. Think critically.
5. 💥Challenge AssumptionsQuestion your own beliefs and those of others.
6. 🧘Avoid Emotional DecisionsStrong emotions cloud logic. Wait until you’re calm.

💡 Remember:

Shortcuts save time — but they don’t always lead in the right direction.

Wellbeing Team

St Peter's College