When Motives Meet Misunderstanding
Hook
“We are strangers to our own reasons.”
Research
Yale University — Krieger et al. (2019)
The study found that people often misattribute their decisions to reasons that feel rational and acceptable while failing to recognize emotional factors that significantly influence their choices.
View sourceReflection
I have always prided myself on being logical and rational. When faced with a decision, I list pros and cons and weigh everything meticulously—at least that's what I tell myself.
But in those quiet moments, when I'm utterly honest, I remember the times I've been swayed by a gut feeling or an emotional pull, yet crafted an elaborate rational explanation to make it all sound sensible.
It's funny how often I catch myself believing these narratives, as if the stories I tell myself are more comforting than the messy truth of my wants and needs.
The Insight
We often cloak our decisions in rationality, masking the emotional currents that truly guide us.
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