Your Gut Instinct Isn’t Always Right—Here’s How To Use It Anyway

Spiders, tarot cards, and solving for your why

For the last year, I’ve written weekly about the science of decision-making. We’ve unpacked cognitive biases—those shortcuts our brains take to save energy, even if they sometimes lead to worse choices—and explored Nobel Prize-winning decision science research. We’ve covered decision models, dissected the math behind choices, and discussed techniques to help us make more objective, rational decisions.

But.

In all this intellectual exploration, there’s one fundamental element I’ve overlooked.

And it’s time I addressed it.

For all the logic, science, and rigor behind decision-making, I can’t deny this fact:

All decisions are emotional.

As much as we like to think we’re rational, it’s simply not true. We almost always make decisions emotionally—and then justify them rationally.

In other words, our “gut instinct” rules our decisions. Our emotions, past experiences, and even trauma responses make the call, and then our brains find ways to justify it. Even when they’re not optimal.

(Side note: This is exactly why I’m so passionate about improving decision-making—not because I want to eliminate emotions, but to ensure that they don’t hijack us in ways that harm future versions of ourselves.)