Intuitive or rational decision making system?

This text is a continuation of a mental model decision-making system. If intuitive and rational decision-making systems are something new to you, I recommend you to read about them from here before reading this text. Even though these systems work together all the time. One of them is the most dominant one all the time. These moments can be divided into two: task-oriented and state-oriented selection of the decision-making system. When your intuitive system is working, it is implementing the instructions from your rational system. The main source of these instructions is the results of the deliberate choices and existing beliefs that your rational systems have made before.

Task-oriented selection

The intuitive system delivers simpler tasks than a rational system. It also reacts to any existing threats and does simple calculations. It also brings practice into expertise in situations where you use your automated skills. Some of the tasks are:

• Easy calculations
• Reactions to threatening situations
• Orientation to perceived changes in the environment
• Read and produces simple sentences
• Creative tasks
• Tasks that are within your areas of expertise and have time constraints
• Habitual tasks

The rational system delivers harder tasks like hard calculations, chooses were to put your attention and learning new things. Some of the tasks are:

• Complicated calculations
• Keeping attention on the task at hand
• Searching memory to identify a sound or sight
• Thinking about the validity of an argument

When you have directed your attention to a complicated task, disturbances can direct your attention to another situation that requires your intuitive system. In this case, the intuitive system decides what to do.

State-oriented selection

What I mean by state-oriented selection is that you are more likely to use an intuitive system, when your physical, emotional, or mental states aren´t optimal for using a rational system. The question is not when the intuitive system is working. It is why it is working. All the aforementioned states are connected. It is hard to separate them. So, I am not separating them from each other. When you have to decide things fast and have no expertise, you use your intuitive system to get the right answer. When you are stressed, you will likely use your intuitive system. When your attention to something is strong, a distraction can change your state and stop your rational system from working. If you aren´t sure of what to do, your intuitive system decides for you.

When you are hungry, or you are dehydrated, your intuitive system is working for you. It is more likely working also when your glucose level isn´t optimal. It can be too high or too low. It matters what you ate and when you did it. Keeping your glucose level at an optimal level to make rational decisions isn´t easy. You can also have decision fatigue. When you have made too many decisions without stabilizing your glucose level, your internal states aren´t optimal for making decisions. If you haven´t slept enough and feel tired, your intuitive system is doing the decisions. All these aforementioned things affect your willpower. Low amount willpower is one of the most common reasons why your intuitive system makes decisions when it would be wiser to use the rational system. You are more likely also using the intuitive system when you are in the slump-phase of your daily cycle.

One last thing. The rational system dominates when the intuitive system is off. Although these systems work together, one of them is usually the dominant one.

Until next week,

-TT