Ever made a decision you regretted? Did you ask yourself, “what was I thinking?” Did you vow you’d never make a decision like that again, only to break that vow soon after?

Surprisingly, there’s quite a bit of scientific research behind the decision-making process, and what causes us to make bad ones versus good ones. A few things can influence our decisions:

1. Hunger. The Multiamory acronym HHALTDDS (Horny, Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, Drinking, Drugs, Sick) describes states that can all affect your decision-making. To avoid hunger influencing your decisions, try to manage your hunger by carrying snacks and staying aware of it.

2. Decision fatigue. The same way your muscles get tired from exercising, your brain can get fatigued from making decisions. Being mindful about how much decision-making power you have throughout the day can help mitigate this, as can choosing a smaller number of options, and then narrowing them down until you have a choice.

3. Hot and cold states. A hot state refers to varying degrees of emotionally charged or physically challenging situations, such as being hungry or in pain, while a cold state is a calm, rational state that is less likely to influence decisions badly. It’s hard to realistically imagine how you react to things while in a hot state, so we have a couple ways of dealing with this situation. First, you can try to avoid the hot state by actively making the decision to avoid certain hot situations. You can also plan how to navigate the hot state and work out how to overcome it so you’re prepared when and if it occurs.

For in-depth discussion about some different studies on decision-making, be sure to listen to the full episode and let us know what you think!