Prof. Dr. Dr. phil. Alexander Soutschek, Professor of Neuroscience of Decision-Making at the University Hospital of Würzburg: To make a decision, we often have to synthesize various pieces of information. Here’s an example from everyday life: When deciding which restaurant to go to, several factors are important. What’s on the menu? How much do I like the decor? How easy is it for me to get there? The Prefrontal cortex is activated to integrate this information and compare it. This region in the front of the brain is responsible for control processes and Memory. In contrast, the anterior cingulate cortex, located relatively deep within the brain, becomes active whenever there are mental or cognitive conflicts. Such conflicts are associated with negative Emotions. This often makes us perceive decision-making as exhausting and difficult. Once we’ve made a decision—such as choosing a dish from a restaurant menu—the reward system eventually releases Dopamine when we eat the dish—provided we’ve made a good choice.

How difficult a decision feels to us also depends on the value we assign to the available options. It’s easier when the options have quite different reward values. To stick with the example of going to a restaurant: If the menu features our absolute favorite dish—one we like much more than anything else—we can place our order effortlessly. If, on the other hand, there are several dishes to choose from that we like equally well, the choice becomes more difficult. Small, everyday decisions in particular are often so difficult precisely because several options have a similar subjective value.

This is also referred to as the “decision paradox”: Instead of being happy that we have several good options to choose from, we struggle when we like multiple possibilities. On the other hand, if we only like one option and not the others, we not only decide more easily but are also more satisfied with that decision afterward. Perhaps you’ve experienced similar situations: When dining out with friends, you’re served something delicious, yet you still regret not having chosen the dish a friend ordered. Imaging studies show that the anterior cingulate cortex, which signals conflict, remains active even after a decision has been made when there are many attractive options. This indicates that in such cases, we struggle with our decision.

A study that my team and I conducted in Munich involved artificially stimulating the Anterior cingulate cortex The participants were asked to choose between two options. Afterward, we asked them how confident they were that they had made the best decision. If the anterior cingulate was stimulated during the decision-making process using weak electrical currents delivered via electrodes attached to the skull, the participants were less confident afterward that they had made the right decision. This shows that the more pronounced the conflicts are during a decision-making process, the more dissatisfied people are even after the decision has been made.

Incidentally, major (life) decisions do not differ significantly from everyday decisions in terms of brain activity. However, they are more personally relevant and often require gathering more information. This places an even greater strain on the control system, which is why they often feel even more difficult.

Recorded by Natalie Steinmann

Question first published on April 13, 2014

Question reanswered on May 25, 2026