Here is an interesting article that implies most decisions are emotional in nature and never based on logic.
Those of us that are driven by logic will have issues with people who make decisions emotionally.
Although I have to admit, that some of my decisions were emotional even when the "logic" dictated the opposite of what I decided.
http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/decisions-are-emotional-not-logical-the-neuroscience-behind-decision-making
Personally, I have been a logical negotiator for years. I tend to empathise logically rather than emotionally and then present a logical argument adressing the facts that the empathy uncovered. However, I am discovering that this approach may suit technical environments where both parties are comfortable concentrating on a technical solution, however I continue to be baffled by more common emotional decision making that defys logic. (A turkey voting for Christmas, because it sounded like a great celebration.) It's an interesting subject though. I wonder how many Alex people have a had time with the emotional decision making of others, and how many non Alex have a hard time with us lot.
I find this sort of thing very awkward.
Because my conscious mind is extremely logical and methodical, like an organic difference engine, running and comparing pros and cons of many courses of action at once. People tell me making decisions "with your head" is the correct approach. But these decisions, when I have exhaustively investigated every aspect of the situation logically and decided upon the most sensible course, have ended up being the most disastrous.
Because unfortunately, I am not as completely devoid of emotion as I think I am. I'm just unable to understand them.
So when it all makes perfect sense and yet it all falls apart anyway, I can't understand why. It was a flawless plan. I'd thought about it thoroughly. My information was good. But it was all foiled by some kind of emotional freakout that I can't identify, perceive properly, understand or manage. And obviously didn't take into account in my decision making process, because I can't.
If all decision making was indeed emotional, I doubt I would have been led to disaster so many times by making the mistake of failing to consider the emotional possible impacts or reactions at all, and merely judging the facts.
I believe part of the problem is that emotions are facts, and ignoring them carries exactly the same negative consequences as ignoring any other category of facts.
I'm curious, can you give me an example where you neatly put the facts together and made a decision for the seemingly most sensible course and then it got f*cked up by an "emotional freakout"?
Your information about the factual side of the situation may have been good btw, but emotions also convey information that you may have been missing. One function of emotions is exactly that, providing information by an alternative evaluation method regarding the well-being of the person or people involved.
I agree, not all decision making is all that emotional. But I like the post that said emotions are facts. I'm treating them that way exactly.
