Humans are estranged creatures. They work from morning to night, thinking that hustling and being serious will lead them to their dream job. But they forget that they are the biggest fools in this world. Beneath these bones and skeletons lie feelings. Emotions? Not just emotions—they are the judges of character, the reasons for wavering judgment, and the last-minute decision-makers. Humans who pride themselves on living by logic and reason often forget that emotions can hijack their ability to make rational decisions. This phenomenon—where feelings often trump facts—is both amusing and deeply concerning.
Human beings are wired for emotions. At times, emotions don’t play fair—they overpower rationality, leading to impulsive or regrettable decisions. Humans are highly adaptive beings, including their capacity to change decisions when influenced by emotions. What makes this so fascinating is how quickly this shift occurs–often in a matter of seconds or even milliseconds. Let’s have a take at this phenomenon.
The Emotional Whiplash of Decision-Making
Emotions serve as our internal compass. They are not just fleeting feelings—they are deeply rooted in our biology, psychology, and experiences. The prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, governs logic and reasoning. The interaction between these two parts of the brain determines whether we act emotionally or rationally.
In emotionally intense situations, the amygdala can overwhelm the prefrontal cortex, a phenomenon known as amygdala hijack. For example, when someone insults us, our initial reaction might be anger, which comes from the amygdala, while a logical response requires effort from the prefrontal cortex to de–escalate the situation.
Emotions are the brain’s first responders. They are processed more quickly than the rational side of the brain. Hence, our gut reaction is so powerful. Emotions are neccessity like a surviving tools. Anger helps us defend ourselves, fear keeps us away from danger, love strengthens bonds, and sadness reminds us of how low we can feel. Emotions subtly overshadow the logical part of human beings. Studies in neuroscience have shown that people with damaged emotional centers in their brain struggle to make decisions, even in purely logical scenarios like choosing between two brands of cereal.
Why Emotions Outpace Logic
Think more of this as a conflict between the emotional and logical aspect of a being. Emotional memories are stored more vividly than logical ones, meaning emotions triggered by similar situations tend to leave a lasting impact and influence decisions. For example–a person might be hesitant to talk to strangers, if their encounter with strangers doesn’t go well. They remain hesitant and in denial. Emotions can make a sane person lose their sanity. The struggle isn’t for logic to be right, but to make sense. Even if you are short of reason why you are choosing that judgement between the logical one. Humans are emotional decision–makers partly because of social influence.
It’s happened to all of us. One moment, you’re calm and composed, weighing the pros and cons of a situation. The next, a single comment, a fleeting memory, or an overwhelming sensation hits, and everything shifts. The logic that you had built crushes in just a fleeting moment, all because of the weight of feeling is too strong. Suddenly, you are saying and doing what you hadn’t planned on doing.
Humans when feeling low like sad, vulnerable, scared, and hurt the strongest force of emotions become more dominant. Whatever, they try these emotions, hold them in a strong grip, let them choke on their bad decision followed by the emotional rush. In these moments, logic feels like a distant friend, someone who knows the truth but speaks too softly for you to hear. Your emotions drown it out, insisting they’re the ones you should trust. And, for better or worse, you often do.
At its core, emotions are primal. They exist to protect us. The fear that makes your heart race when you’re standing on a ledge is the same fear that saved our ancestors from predators. The anger that flares up during an argument is the same emotion that helped early humans defend their territory.
But the modern world is complicated. Emotions haven’t evolved to distinguish between actual threats and perceived ones. That’s why a critical email from your boss or a sarcastic comment from a friend can trigger the same intensity of emotion as a life-or-death situation. Logic tries to step in, but emotions have already fired their signal.
Think about a time you acted on emotion rather than reason. Maybe you sent a long, angry text in the heat of the moment, even though you knew deep down it would only escalate things. Or maybe you walked away from an opportunity because the fear of failing felt unbearable, even though your logical mind told you to take the risk.
These moments show us how emotions have the power to hijack logic. They take the wheel and drive us toward immediate relief or satisfaction, even if the destination isn’t where we truly want to go.
How to Reclaim Balance
It’s not about suppressing emotions. It’s about understanding them—seeing them for what they are and giving logic a chance to catch up. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Pause Before Reacting: Even a few seconds can create enough space for logic to step in.
- Name the Emotion: Saying, “I feel scared” or “I feel frustrated” can help you recognize the emotion instead of being consumed by it.
- Ask Yourself What Matters Most: Will this decision bring me closer to the person I want to be, or is it just a reaction to how I feel right now?
Emotions will always outpace logic, and maybe that’s okay. They’re messy, unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming, but they’re also what make us human. They connect us to ourselves and to each other.
The key is to remember that while emotions may lead the way, they don’t have to dictate the destination. Logic is always there, waiting to help you navigate the path ahead.