Impulsive Decision Making
How to Break Free from Impulsive Decision Making
We’re all guilty of impulsive decision-making occasionally, yet this behavior can have serious consequences if not managed properly. If you’re unable to pause and think about whether a decision you are making is right for you or not, this article is the right place to start making positive changes.
Acting quickly without weighing long-term consequences can have an impact on your finances, relationships, health, and career. However, noticing its consequences is one thing, and understanding why you are impulsive when making a decision and how to take back control is another.
Understanding Impulsive Decision Making
Whenever you make a choice quickly and are driven by emotions or external triggers instead of rationally deciding whether or not you need something, you are making an impulsive decision. The idea is not to get rid of impulsive decision-making completely, as occasionally it is a wonderful way to motivate us to step outside of our comfort zone. However, if you’re making decisions without carefully considering the consequences, it can have a major impact on your life.
Why are some people more impulsive than others? Several factors can contribute to your level of impulsivity, yet the most relevant is dopamine. Among other functions, this hormone is responsible for seeking external pleasures to feel satisfied (the reward and pleasure system). Dopamine makes us more likely to repeat behaviors that make our brains feel good.
It is important to be aware that instant gratification can have negative consequences as well. Assume you enjoy eating chocolate and find that it makes you feel better every time. We are aware that eating a lot of chocolate on a daily basis will have negative health consequences. This principle can be applied to every other area of your life.
We make impulsive decisions because we’re bored and seek excitement, or maybe we feel pressured by our environment. Others tend to be impulsive because the idea of analyzing all the factors before making a decision is exhausting. Regardless of your trigger, it’s important to distinguish between healthy spontaneity and harmful impulsivity.
The Cost of Impulsive Decisions
Unfortunately, impulsive decision-making can cause a lot of harm in a person’s life. If you’re guided by short-term relief, you could find yourself facing long-term consequences. For instance, making an impulsive decision to move to a country you’ve never visited before or quitting your job without organizing your financial situation first can all backfire.
Impulsive decisions are expensive, whether you’re buying things you don’t need or joining activities just because others expect you to join. Not being able to reject suggestions or your own need to have something could lead to overspending and debt.
Another thing to consider is the emotional cost of impulsive decision-making. If you buy things expecting they’ll change your life, you probably end up disappointed most of the time. People who make impulsive decisions often feel regret, self-guilt, or disappointment in themselves. Impulsive behavior can also include engaging in a discussion with a friend or a partner because you feel tired or stressed from work. Hurting the feelings of the person you care about can be a high cost of acting impulsively.
Understanding the consequences of such behavior is crucial to changing it. The clearer you see the impact impulsive decision-making has on your life, the easier it will be to start implementing positive changes.
Recognizing Your Impulse Triggers
Once your impulsive decisions start to have a toll on your life, you’ll probably start feeling motivated to do something about it. The first step in breaking free from impulsive decision-making is to recognize your triggers.
Think about the last time you made an impulsive decision. What had led you to it? What is a common pattern when you’re impulsively deciding about something? You can spend some time contemplating it or write it down. Identifying patterns in your impulsive behavior is crucial to changing this behavior for good.
When it comes to common triggers, think about these below:
- Emotional triggers include feelings of anger, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness, among others.
- Situational triggers include things like sales, deadlines, and social pressure, among others.
- Biological triggers include hunger, fatigue, and hormonal shifts, among others.
If none of these triggers resonate with you, use them as guidelines the next time you make an impulsive decision. Just by knowing the list of common triggers, you can recognize them more easily in your behavior the next time you’re impulsive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes impulsive decision-making?
Strong emotions, brain chemistry, or external factors, such as pressure, deadlines, or tempting offers, often trigger impulsive decisions. Fatigue, hunger, or alcohol can also lower self-control and increase impulsivity.
Is impulsive decision-making always bad?
Impulsive decision-making is not always “bad.” It can help you react accordingly in an emergency or seize an unexpected opportunity. However, if you make all your life decisions impulsively, you may also encounter various negative consequences.
How is impulsive decision-making different from being spontaneous?
When you are spontaneous, you are open to new experiences and flexible, yet still aligned with values in your life. Impulsivity, on the other hand, is reactive and driven by urges; it often disregards consequences.
From Weakness to Wisdom
After a while, making one impulsive decision after another can begin draining your energy and stressing you out. That is why recognizing your impulse triggers can help you turn your weakness into wisdom. Don’t waste your time on blaming yourself for your past decisions or the impact your impulsivity had on your life. Focus all your energy on changing your impulsive behavior every day.
Many techniques can be quite useful once you decide to work on your impulsive decision-making, such as:
- 5-minute rule of silence and passivity before making a decision
- Deep breathing and grounding to calm the nervous system
- Placing sticky notes or setting reminders on your phone to think well before making a decision
- Observe your urges to make a decision and write down or describe how it feels
- Think of decision rules that have to be followed in order to make a decision
- Visualization of long-term consequences before acting
- Therapy focused on taking accountability for your impulsivity and healing from it
Conclusion
Impulsive decision-making can turn your life upside down, no matter how much you try to apologize or make amends after the decision has been made. To stop this behavior, you must examine what causes you to make these decisions and how they affect you and others. You may need someone else to help you spot them! Gaining control over your decision-making process will enable you to make choices that align with your well-being.
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