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Here’s How You Can Always Make the Right Decision Under Pressure
What to do when you’re too panicked to think clearly
I was standing in front of a rack of coats, trying to decide between two of them, when a store employee announced the boutique would be closing in five minutes. My friends were already waiting for me outside.
A rational response in that moment would have been to quickly consider my outerwear needs — was my closet lacking a sensible parka for the winter, or did the upcoming events on my calendar call for a more fashionable, extravagant option? Or I could have simply walked out the door and given myself more time to think. What I did, however, was run to the register and purchase both coats in a flurry of panic, all while forgetting my coupon at the bottom of my purse and glossing over the notes on both tags that the items were final sale. When I got home and realized what I’d done, I had two coats that I’d spent way too much money on and a lot of regrets.
Humans aren’t great at making smart decisions under pressure, whether we’re trying to put out a fire at work or deciding which coat to buy when our dinner reservation is in seven minutes. As soon as something puts us off-kilter, our common sense goes flying out the window, replaced by our hardwired “fight or flight” response. It’s helped us survive…
