Apparently as adults we make 35,000 conscious decisions daily. From deciding to hit the snooze button in the morning, to what we are going to have for dinner, our minds are actively working on this complex, cognitive process.

It involves.

1. Getting the process going (initiating the task)
2. Paying attention to the information
3. Remembering details to compare
4. Seeing different possibilities
5. Knowing what each option entails
6. Thinking about the consequences of the decision & evaluating the probability of a good outcome

Sounds simple, right?

But I’ve struggled my whole life making decisions. For me, the pendulum has swung between not being able to make them due to decision fatigue (analysis paralysis if you will), to the other extreme of impulsively making decisions without much thought about the impact. Sometimes I don’t know why I make some decisions and for these ones when the dust settles, and the consequences of my choices are laid out in front of me, all I can say under my breath is ‘fuck!’

I’ve always wondered why I’ve struggled so much with decision making. Perhaps my most irrational choices might be explained by the theories of quantum mechanics.

Stay with me for a minute on this one.

The idea is that the choices we face are all coexisting at the same time, until we make a decision and at that point all other possibilities disappear from our minds. Quantum theory may be an intuitive way to think about the mind with the Schrödinger’s cat example – the thought experiment that describes the paradox of a cat inside a box possibly alive or dead. Before we open the box, both are possible and the cat is potentially alive and dead at the same time, an effect called quantum superposition. It’s not until we open the box, that those possibilities are no longer superpositioned and we know the outcome.

Our mind possibly works the same way, and before we make a choice our options are all superpositioned. Each possibility adding a whole new layer of dimensions, making the decision process even more complicated. It might be why I make choices I know are against my own best interests.

Perhaps quantum physics explains why I suck at making decisions

I know one thing for sure, I want to be a writer and many of the decisions I now make are with that intention in mind. An inner voice has been whispering for me to write and every time I make a decision that moves me in that direction, the whisper becomes a smile.

Even now as I sit nervously writing my first blog post, I’m terrified of ‘getting it wrong’ of not having a clear vision of where I’m going, or knowing what to write for my first piece, or even knowing how to blog. I ruminate all the outcomes of every decision, my inner perfectionist screaming about how this could all go horribly wrong. But I will not let fear stop me, but instead I will use it as a signpost for the direction I need to move in.

When I sat down to write today, I didn’t know I would end up writing about quantum physics, but here we are, another decision made. In time when I lift the lid on this choice, I could find that starting this blog was one of the best decisions I ever made, or I could find a dead cat….only time will tell.

Christine

Please note, no cats were harmed in the writing of this blog!