Running Head: Emotional and Intellectual Decisions 1
Title: Why It Is Difficult To Separate
Emotional and Intellectual Decisions
Name:
Institution:
EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL DECISIONS 2
Decisions are an integral part of our daily life. Decisions involve many intangibles that
need to be exchanged. To do this, they must be measured with tangible materials whose
measurements must also be evaluated on how the decision-makers objectives are needed. The
decision making is emotional and intellectual. Some people make decisions emotionally and
justify them intellectually. Businessmen make decisions emotionally and validate them
intellectually before implementing them. The lack of emotion and feeling plays an important
role in making committed decisions. The preferences can be very varied and, sometimes,
decision making can be influenced by many factors. That is why every decision has two sides,
with respect to our mind, our feelings and our emotions (John S. Hammond, 2015) (Culham,
2013).
A decision is made with an argument. An act with a purpose cannot be done without
reasoning. This is why human beings tend to look for logic and declare the reason for each
action they perform. This is especially obvious when something is wrong. When something
goes wrong, human beings tend to justify it with a reason or logic that is valuable for their
convenience (Oppy, 2006).
The reasoning process has two pillars that form its basis one is emotional reasoning
and another is the intellectual reasoning. The emotional reasoning of a person defines the
mental state necessary to handle a situation and the intellectual reasoning of a person defines
the logical sense of the person to act. An expression has four components and the decisions
made by the brain are expressed through these four components: emotions, gestures, words and
voluntary action. Of these, emotions and gestures are primarily motivated by emotional
reasoning. Words and action are mainly motivated by intellectual reasoning.
For a human, during his childhood, the capacities of emotional reasoning take control
of his decision-making process. A child does everything possible to do things with emotion.
EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL DECISIONS 3
He can do his things by crying, smiling and showing his obsession. He barely discusses and
negotiates through his action and words. For example, some experiments show that the child
can also play with a snake because he does not distinguish between what is “good” or “bad” for
him. During a period of growth, he develops intellectual reasoning skills by actively learning
what is valuable for his survival in a given situation (Lisa Feldman Barrett, 2016).
Generally, but not always, men think more logically and women think more
emotionally. Now, when I say logically, this does not mean that men are more intelligent than
women. However, this means that men often consider situations as problems that need to be
solved. If something is broken or bad, men think of the simplest / best way they think about
solving the situation. To do this, they use numbers, facts, and statistics to do it. This is the
reason why many men are interested in sports statistics, gadgets, mechanics, laws, comparisons
and competition to name just a few examples. Women constantly think about their emotions.
This makes them not only very self-aware but extremely aware of others. They want to make
sure that the people around them are well and that they are not doing anything to get sick. This
makes many women excellent mothers because they care about others (Brizendine, 2009).
Emotions are, in essence, shortcuts created by the brain to generate feelings about the
subjects, which then guide decisions and actions. If I did not have an emotional response to
decisions, all I had to do, whether trivial or profound, should be based on pros and cons,
purchase price and revisions. And since you do not have time to list while you’re in the corridor
of a grocery store, let your emotions take over and drive the process. Emotions are often the
first step in making decisions, but they are not the last stop. Logic occurs when the decision
you want to make it streamlined. Some people make emotional decisions with some logic, but
emotions usually prevail. You can also use logic first and then, in the final stage of decision
making, the main decision is completely influenced by the person’s emotions (Lisa Feldman
Barrett, 2016).
EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL DECISIONS 4
It’s pretty hard to say what kind of decision is the best. Decisions guided by logic or
emotion have advantages and disadvantages. Emotions are very important in decision making.
It is also thought that almost all logical decisions are still, at least in a certain way, influenced
by emotions. It is also believed that emotions act as signals that help us understand whether we
are doing something right or wrong. Such unconscious signals often tell us if our logical
decisions are wrong or if they do not seem absolutely correct. However, it is also important to
examine the scope and activities that require certain decision-making processes. Whether it is
business or other vitally important things, it is advisable to try to have an absolutely cool “head”
and try to be realistic and use only a rational or cognitive process that can help you to achieve
the most desired and effective results.
There is an example of a decision motivated by certain emotions. This decision refers
to the relationship between two friends. Under the influence of emotions such as anger and
sudden shock, he behaved bluntly and struggled with a dear friend. However, after a while, he
realized that this behavior was excessive and that it was wrong. Fortunately, he managed to use
defined rational methods and conversed quietly with his friend. As a result, they were able to
reach an understanding and managed to improve their relationships. It was an extremely
brilliant and memorable example of the influence of emotion and logic.
It must be said that each decision must be taken completely and without haste. In
addition, it is important to feel safe and calm. Sometimes it is better to trust in the logic of
emotions. However, in some cases, emotions can serve as really useful signals that can help
you make the best decision (John S. Hammond, 2015).
It is said that emotions drive 80% of the choices made by Americans, while
practicality and objectivity represent only 20% of decisions. If you make a decision when you
feel hungry, angry, lonely or tired, emotion wins 100% of the time and can push you in the
wrong direction. Being more or less logical when making a choice is completely natural.
EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL DECISIONS 5
However, it is essential to understand that every choice and every decision has certain
consequences. That’s why if you do not want to get unexpected and unwanted results, try to
control your emotions and consider all aspects before making a final decision.
Each person has had different life experiences and, therefore, will respond to
situations in a different way, responding with different combinations of emotions and logic. It
is difficult to assess exactly what is “wrong” or “good” decisions, especially in situations that
do not have a logical and obvious answer. While there are many examples of advantages and
disadvantages of basing decisions more emotionally and logically, it will always be discussed
to confirm the best decision (National Research Council, 2000).
Lastly, the presidential campaign of Donald Trump is a clear example of questionable
decisions. Logically, it captures the attention of many people through emotional issues, and
although many of his claims may be considered deficient or illogical, his campaign has been
very successful. In the end, there is no objective way to define what is right and what is wrong,
especially in complex situations where there is a variety of participants. Regardless of the
experiences and background of the people, it cannot be stated objectively that a person’s
decision was deficient or not and this person thinks is logical could be more an emotional
response to another person (John S. Hammond, 2015).
So from above discussion, it is clear that we cannot separate the emotional and intellectual
decisions. Both are interlinked and both must be necessary to make an effective decision.
.
EMOTIONAL AND INTELLECTUAL DECISIONS 6
References
Brizendine, L. (2009). The Female Brain. Transworld.
Culham, T. E. (2013). Ethics Education of Business Leaders: Emotional Intelligence, Virtues, and
Contemplative Learning. IAP.
John S. Hammond, R. L. (2015). Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions. Harvard
Business Review Press.
Lisa Feldman Barrett, M. L.-J. (2016). Handbook of Emotions, Fourth Edition. Guilford Publications.
National Research Council, D. o. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School:
Expanded Edition. National Academies Press.
Oppy, G. (2006). Arguing about Gods. Cambridge University Press.
