How Emotions Underlie Even the Coldest Human Calculations
Expert chess players run the gamut of feelings when solving chess problems, according to a study with significant implications for machine intelligence
By Emerging Technology from the arXiv
It’s easy to imagine that emotion gets in the way of the most difficult decisions. Get rid of this cumbersome human artefact and surely people would be able to make cold, calculating choices in the most exacting of situations.
Not so. Decision-making turns out to be more complex than this. Neuroscientists have long studied people with brain injuries that prevent them experiencing emotions. But instead of being precise, ruthless killers, these people are paralysed by indecision.
The truth is that when it comes to everyday choices — deciding between cheese or ham in your sandwich, for example — it doesn’t matter how much cold hard logic you bring to bear; these decisions are ultimately emotional.
But what of more detailed calculations like those involved in mathematics or chess? Surely, they…
