The Psychology Behind Decision-Making: Influential Factors and Perception

By: Corinne Weller

Introduction

What separates humans from other animals when it comes to making choices? According to Krueger et al. (2011), it's our capacity to reflect. The factors that prompt certain choices and the consequences that result from them have led researchers to explore the complex world of decision-making. For example, researchers at Yale recently found from a study of rats that at least three different circuits within the brain determine decision morality (Hathaway, 2019). On the other hand, dysfunctional neural circuits have been theorized to result in repeatedly poor decision-making despite negative consequences. These circuits can be thought of as “good choice,” “bad choice,” and “memory” regions that all dictate decisions to a high degree. It may seem complex at first, but these connections are made daily in human life, making it unique and different from other species. Decisions are made on various scales, from adults in the courtroom to adolescents in their daily lives, and several mechanisms contribute to the formation of these choices. 

 Studies such as the aforementioned one have opened up doors for future research, prompting investigations into the circumstances and factors that affect decision-making. However, there are many more factors that affect the decision-making process that will be discussed in this article.

Factors Guiding Decision-Making in Adolescence

The majority of people know the ‘angsty teenager’ stereotype. But what actually causes adolescents to make risky decisions? A study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that when comparing dicey outcomes, teenagers demonstrate a lower level of activity among neural regions related to decision-making (NIMH, 2007). These areas of the brain, such as the orbitofrontal/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, develop much later compared to other regions. The experiment within the NIMH study involved a game of chance with a high-risk, high-reward design. Ultimately, researchers witnessed that adults demonstrated increased maturity in the decision-and-reward regions of the brain. They engaged in higher thinking, while adolescents did not as frequently. 

Cognitive Systems and Models in Decision-Making

Overall, two primary systems dictate decisions. System 1 revolves around intuition and emotion, while System 2 relates to deliberate thought and logic (Touro University Worldwide, 2025). Further, System 1 is designed for daily choices, and System 2 allows for critical thinking when individuals face complex decisions. Some factors, including confirmation bias and hindsight bias, can interrupt the formation of valid decisions. Confirmation bias is the process of favoring information that reinforces preexisting thoughts, and hindsight bias involves believing that past occurrences were predictable. The addition of conscious and unconscious emotions can further complicate decision-making, with anxiety causing risk aversion and anticipation prompting impulsive actions. Stress is another example of an influential factor, as it can overwhelm rationality and result in unexpected outcomes. 

Several models are considered when making decisions: the single feature model, the additive feature model, and the elimination by aspects model (Cherry, 2026). The single feature model revolves around one feature determining a decision, the additive feature model involves all factors being taken into account, and finally, the elimination by aspects model weighs each option one at a time and performs the process of elimination. Heuristics is a term referencing another method of choice that allows for quick, shortcut-based decisions. 

The Influence of Future Self-Perception in Decision-Making

Decisions constantly change future paths. In 2023, Psychologist Hal Hershfield considered this fact and explored study participants’ future perceptions of themselves (NPR, 2023). Through MRI analyses, he found that the region of the brain that was active when participants thought of other people was also active when they considered their future selves. This heavily feeds into the idea that people often make decisions based on immediate gratification and for their present selves, as they consider their future selves to be different people entirely. Hershfield’s experiments further found that participants who were shown aged images of themselves were more likely to make future-oriented decisions, such as contributing to retirement savings, suggesting that making the future self more vivid can encourage long-term planning.  One solution to remedy poor decision-making is to connect people to their future selves, just as people might form a friendship or relationship. The end goal would be that individuals make decisions regarding both their present and future selves to ensure that poor consequences are limited down the line. 

Conclusion

 In summary, numerous factors work behind the scenes in relation to decision-making, including emotions, logic, and external considerations.  Many decisions are circumstantial and based on present considerations or immediate consequences, and often, decisions lack consideration for the future. Teenagers, for example, historically have made riskier decisions simply because the decision-making and higher-thinking regions of their brains are less mature or have yet to fully develop. Studies continue to explore activity in various regions of the brain when animals undergo decision-making processes. Further research should allow for more theories to be applied to human trains of thought, allowing for a deeper, more complete understanding of the endlessly evolving psychology behind decision-making. 

Works Cited

author, TUW. “The Psychology of Decision-Making and How It Shapes Daily Life.” Touro University Worldwide, July 2025, www.tuw.edu/psychology/psychology-of-decision-making/.

Cherry, Kendra. “The Psychology of Decision-Making Strategies.” Verywell Mind, www.verywellmind.com/decision-making-strategies-2795483. Accessed 18 May 2026.

Hathaway, Bill. “How the Brain Helps Us Make Good Decisions - and Bad Ones.” Yale News, 6 Oct. 2024, news.yale.edu/2019/06/25/how-brain-helps-us-make-good-decisions-and-bad-ones. Accessed 18 May 2026.

“How Do Our Brains Perceive Our Future Selves? One Psychologist Wanted to Know.” NPR, 16 June 2023, www.npr.org/2023/06/16/1182387784/how-do-our-brains-perceive-our-future-selves-one-psychologist-wanted-to-know.

Krueger, Joachim I., et al. “The Tangled Web of Rationality.” Rational Choice in an Uncertain World: The Psychology of Judgment and Decision Making by Reid K. Hastie and Robyn M. Dawes. The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 124, no. 2, 2011, pp. 247–51. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/amerjpsyc.124.2.0247. Accessed 17 May 2026.

“Adolescent Brains Show Lower Activity in Areas That Control Risky Choices.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 15 Mar. 2007, www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-updates/2007/adolescent-brains-show-lower-activity-in-areas-that-control-risky-choices.