How Decision-Making Works in the Brain—and How Emotions Impact It

We like to imagine our decisions are rational—that we weigh the facts, compare options, and pick the “best” choice. In reality, our brains don’t work like machines.

Decision-making is a remarkably complex cognitive process that involves a sophisticated interplay of different brain regions, neurotransmitters, emotions, and past experiences. It's far from a purely logical process.

Let’s unpack what’s actually happening in your brain when you make a decision.

How Your Brain Makes a Decision

Decision‑making is not a single button inside your head. It’s a conversation between different brain regions that each have their own job.

Here’s a simplified roadmap of how that conversation flows:

Recognizing the Need for a Decision

This often begins in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This is our “executive center” responsible for planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. It flags, “Hey, a choice is needed,” and holds your broader goals in view.

Gathering and Processing Information

After realizing the need for a decision, the prefrontal cortex continues onward by sifting through relevant internal and external information. That includes your memories and gut feelings as well as facts. 

At this point, the hippocampus also gets involved. It’s the quiet voice that asks things like “What happened last time?” This part of the brain retrieves relevant memories and past experiences that might inform your decision. 

Evaluating Options & Weighing Consequences (Logic & Emotion)

A lot happens during this stage:

• The ventromedial PFC (VMPFC) begins to activate as it assesses the potential outcomes and weighs the pros and cons of each option. This is when the limbic system (especially the amygdala)—your emotional center—also weighs in.

• The amygdala processes the emotional significance of different options. It can quickly assess potential threats or rewards based on learned associations.

• The dopamine system tracks reward predictions. If something paid off before (or felt like it did), your brain remembers and subtly steers you toward it again.

• The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) acts like a conflict monitor. When options compete or information clashes, it lights up and nudges you to slow down, seek clarity, or get help.

Put simply, your internal team weighs signals from your history, values, sensations, and the environment.

The neuroscientist Antonio Damasio proposed the Somatic Marker Hypothesis to describe this complex interplay. According to this hypothesis, our brains attach "somatic markers" (gut feelings, bodily sensations) to different options based on past experiences. These physiological signals unconsciously bias our choices, often before we're consciously aware of them. This is often what we call "intuition."

Making the Choice

Once again, it’s back to the prefrontal cortex. At this point, the PFC integrates all the logical reasoning, emotional inputs, and value assessments to finalize the chosen course of action. This is where deliberate, conscious decisions are made.

Executing the Decision

Once the decision is made, the brain’s motor regions and basal ganglia get involved in planning and executing the physical or mental actions required. This is also where habits live, which is why routine decisions can feel almost automatic (for better or worse).

5 Key Insights from the Neuroscience of Decision-Making (and Why This All Matters)

Your brain is designed to keep you alive, not to guarantee perfect decisions. When you understand how the system works, you can work with it instead of fighting it.

If there’s anything to take away from how your brain makes decisions, it’s these five key points:

1. It's not purely rational. Emotions play a significant and often subconscious role. They’re rapid appraisals of safety, reward, and meaning. When you pause to name what you feel, you help bring your thinking brain back online.

2. Past experiences shape future choices. Our brains learn from outcomes. Dopamine signals and somatic markers are learned associations that tell us what feels “right” or “risky.” If your gut says no, that’s your brain tapping into thousands of micro‑memories.

3. Multiple brain regions collaborate. There is no single decision‑making center. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex, and dopamine pathways each carry a piece of the puzzle. But when one part dominates, your decisions may skew.

4. Stress and emotion have a big impact on our decision-making. When stress surges, your amygdala hits the gas. Your prefrontal cortex—the part that considers the big picture—can go haywire. That’s why under pressure, we reach for instant relief, like doom‑scrolling, snacking, and saying “yes” to avoid conflict. We may even default to old patterns (people‑pleasing, perfectionism) even when they don’t serve us, or over‑ or under‑estimate risk.

5. Values matter. While not a specific brain region, our deeply held values likely influence how we weigh potential outcomes and our emotional responses. Think of your values like guardrails—they guide us toward choices that align with our core beliefs.

Understanding the complexity behind decision-making in the brain helps us appreciate why we might make choices that, in retrospect, don't seem logical but felt "right" at the time. It also highlights the importance of managing stress and understanding our emotional responses to improve our decision-making capabilities.

What Next?

High stress or intense emotions can override more rational thinking and lead to hasty decisions. However, cultivating mental fitness can help meet life’s tough decisions with more steadiness and calm. And the good news is that you can build it the same way you build physical fitness: consistent reps.

If you’re ready to bring steadier decision‑making into your personal or professional life, I can help. Here are a few ways we can work together:

• UNSTUCK group coaching—enrollment now open! UNSTUCK is my 12-week group coaching experience designed to move you from survival mode to self‑aware, values‑aligned action. Spots are limited—enroll now to reserve your seat.

• Coaching. Whether you’re beginning your growth journey, seeking deep transformation, or striving for peak performance, I provide coaching to help high performers find purpose, regain focus, and re‑energize. Book a consultation to get started.

• Workshops and group retreats. From half‑day workshops to multi‑day retreats, I design experiences that weave psychology, yoga, and neuroscience into practical tools your team can use right away. Contact me to explore bringing this work to your organization or event.

• Therapy. I offer trauma‑informed therapy that integrates evidence‑based practice with mind‑body wisdom. Schedule a session to begin strengthening your emotional resilience.