My brain made me do it
What In this reading, the brain is seen as an examined tool, both logical and emotional. The author demonstrates the decision making process of people in varying situations, such as elections and shopping. During an election, many fall to their comfort zone, that being their partisan preference. The author analyzes the key differences that politics has on the brain, especially for those who are closely affiliated to it. The Concord Monitor experienced a harsh decision making process when its five members voted for their candidate’s endorsement. In the end, the much divided room voted for Clinton, a move not everyone saw fit. However, when the paper published their endorsement, there was no word of their diverse opinions.
The work continues by saying that “scientists have been able to show that this ‘argument’ isn’t confined only to contentious issues such as presidential politics” (199), leading the reader to see that the brain’s emotional and rational systems argue and fight for power and influence, no matter the subject.
This way of thinking crosses over into the realm of shopping. When given multiple products, shoppers are exposed to many choices, allowing for one’s brain to fight with itself until a clear decision is made. One product may have the nutrients necessary for one’s diet, but may not taste as good as another product. One product can be more cost efficient, but may lack flavor. These ideas bounce from one part of one’s brain to another until one product ‘wins’. USC’s neuroscientist Antoine Bechara comments, “’The point is that most of the compilation is done at an emotional, unconscious level, and not at a logical level’” (199).
Decision making while shopping depends on many factors beyond the internal struggle to decide. Store fronts offer their best products and show the need for its purchase. Marketing manipulates the product so that it is necessary for one’s household. As an employee in a locally owned clothing store, I know firsthand the importance of product placement and product manipulation. We place items that we want to sell close to the entrance and in sight at the register. We market the clothing for all ages and push for decision making in a timely manner. This reading reiterates the brain’s internal and external struggle to make these decisions.
So What? While at AVID, we make decisions that effect the rest of the group. One student volunteers to write their question on the board and the group solves the issue through problem solving. We help the student find their ‘ah-ha’ moment. For example, Natalie wrote an algebra question on the board and explained that when she came to the third step, she was unsure what to do next. The group helped her find her notes and decipher the problem by looking at previous examples in her book. By working together, she found the next step, which was to simplify her problem. In that moment she found her answer and her confusion diffused. This work demonstrates the countless thoughts the brain must have before coming to a conclusion. Natalie experienced thoughts of not only doubt and confusion but also excitement when she discovered the root of the issue and its next step.
For me, my brain takes a stroll through many avenues of possibilities before it comes to its final conclusion. My emotional brain reacts to situations with compassion and trust before looking deeper into the situation. I have experienced an internal dialogue like one expressed in The Brain is an Argument. When deciding where to attend college, I balanced the pros and cons of each school and laid out the cost and potential career paths each university could allot me. I remember wishing that my brain could make this decision easier, that there would be one school that had the right recipe for success that I so longed to have. I went back and forth between schools, and ultimately found myself at the steps of Dominican University. The author demonstrates this thought by stating, “The default state of the brain is indecisive disagreement; various mental parts are constantly insisting that the other parts are wrong” (210). Now as I look back at that decision, I cannot imagine myself making another choice. I feel comfort on this campus and know that the fight was won by the right school.
Now What? In the future, I will see the decision making process as one that is helpful and necessary for me to be successful, rather than a chore or frustration. In my community service, I hope by passing on the knowledge that the decision making process is complex but necessary will help the students see that their problems will not stay that way forever. One must go through the problem solving process to find the solution. Fighting the internal argument is worth the fight in the end. The author states that “when making decisions, actively resist the urge to suppress the argument. Instead, take the time to listen to what all the different brain areas have to say. Good decisions rarely emerge from a false consensus” (218).
