What we do not care about does not affect us. That gives us a kind of superpower to be happier, which we don’t always use as much as we could — An unexpected bonus, the person we want to spend the rest of our life with saying ‘yes’, the soccer team we support winning the title, a stranger letting us join an interminable traffic queue with a smile — these are some of the many things that make us feel good…

Targets can influence our behaviour in a beneficial way, by providing guidance and giving us motivation. But not all targets are equally effective — It may be hard to believe nowadays, when we can stream any radio programme or music by any artists to a device that resides in our pocket, but when I was about 12, I dreamt of having my own transistor radio. Literally. Thankfully, at the time I was growing out…

We don’t always need to perform a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to make good decisions. — Earlier this week, I took half a day off and went to see an old friend, whom I had not seen for over twenty years. On the way there (and back) I could not help myself reflecting on the costs and benefits of my decision — and indeed whether I…

Decisions often seem simpler than they are. The options have multiple implications, and these are not always easy to compare. But there is a way to cut through that complexity, and make better choices. — When I was about five years old (it was well over 20 years ago), I was staying with my grandmother one afternoon. I followed her around the house as she was doing the homework, and at some point, she was putting some freshly laundered clothes away in her wardrobe. I…

Why might people decline an offer of up to $10,000 just to keep their feet on the ground? — What would you be prepared to do to receive $10,000 in cash, on the spot? Before your thoughts go to things of questionable legality or morality, hold your horses — nothing like that is needed. No, these days, it seems, you can earn that kind of money for not taking…

An entertaining spectacle at Westminster and 10 Downing Street is also a showcase of decision making — Over his political career, the United Kingdom’s (now acting) prime minister has gained a reputation for eccentricity, but these last few days he has arguably surpassed himself. His apparent disregard for the seriousness of members of his government quitting at an exponential rate not seen since the first wave of…

Sometimes we follow our intuition to do the right thing, without regard for costs and benefits. But how can we know it actually is the right thing? — When little Sally climbs on a chair to get hold of the cookie jar, and proceeds to consume its contents, she is moved by the pleasure of eating the sweet, sweet delicacy. When her escapade is later discovered, her parents are likely to dish out some kind of punishment. Soon…

Most of us don’t like it when others make decisions for us — we prefer to make our own choices. But even when we do make decisions autonomously, sometimes it is as if the process is being hijacked. — Imagine you’re visiting a new restaurant in town that is all the buzz. As you are shown to a table, you are given a menu, but unfortunately it is not quite clear which dishes are vegetarian, which are gluten free and so on. You beckon a server and tell her…

Good decision making is more about the “making” than about the “decision” — Altruism is an intriguing phenomenon. Many of us make material sacrifices in money, effort or time that benefit others, without a clear immediate material benefit to ourselves. We hold the door open for someone, or allow a driver to join a queue of traffic. We volunteer at the annual fête…