Emotions in Decisions


In this video, Prof. Baba Shiv of Stanford University speaks to the importance of emotion in decision making, particularly as related to confidence. After watching this video, reflect on two situations; one, in which you were extremely confident of the outcome and what your attitude was towards the subject; and second, a situation in which you were less confident or not so confident of the outcome. Based on this module's readings and this video write a reflection blog detailing the situations above and describing the role emotion played in decision making. Include what emotional reactions you experienced for each scenario.



Shiv (2011) discusses emotion can influence the wanting system in the brain, or the release of dopamine from the brain, that comes from potential decisions and the subsequent benefits and effort that is to be expended. 

From a personal standpoint, I can confirm Shiv’s assessment, as I was highly motivated in the role of purchasing new flight planning software for the company I was employed with at the time.  Knowing the operational changes and growth that the company was experiencing and having conducted thorough research on the required features we were looking for, I soon became focused on a product that offered the right combination of utility and price that would satisfy our requirements.  At this point, the wanting system, as described by Shiv (2011), activated because I had a vision, or pathway, of how this product would help achieve our desired end state.  Thus, the motivation, the emotional charge, and all the other attributes associated by Shiv (2011) manifest itself in me when I presented this program confidently to our Chief Pilot and the company owner.  Seemingly convinced on the spot, the gave the go ahead and enter into contract.  In this case, the confidence was borne from seeing the product solve or answer the issues we faced which lead to a vision of success.  In the end, the vision became reality and we commenced international flight operations with help of our flight planning software. 

A time I was less confident was in agreeing to the contractor that my wife selected to remodel our bathroom.  This person had done work for us before, but this job was much larger in magnitude than the previous painting and light repair work she had accomplished.  While we very much wanted this project to get started and could see the end result, I started to sense doubt that this person would be able to accomplish the job when the normal complications emerged in a typical remodel project.  The contractor’s confidence in solving the issues was not terribly strong and soon she was considering having to consult her ex-boyfriend who were partners in several jobs together for help.  It became apparent that she could not envision solutions to the problems in the job, and therefore, could not envision success. 

Shiv (2011) rightly states that the wanting system drives the emotional state into projecting confidence.  I would add that the wanting state is driven by a vision of future success that sees the component, tool, or person designated for a role as necessary to achieve success. 







Shiv, B. (2011, November 07). Brain Research at Stanford: Decision Making. Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=WRKfl4owWKc

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