When it comes to decision-making, is it better to rely on your head or your heart, or is the process entirely circumstantial? The truth is, you can’t have one without the other; they work together, although one tends to be more prominent than the other.
Thinking with your head
Making decisions with your head means relying on logic, reasoning and analysis. This way of thinking is purely a rationalist approach that allows no room for emotions to influence your choices. This method has several advantages. For one, it helps you predict the outcomes of decisions through strategic analysis and logical thought. It’s also especially useful in situations that require strategic planning or problem-solving. However, this approach does come with its flaws. When you focus solely on logic and reasoning, you ignore your emotions and desires, leading to a lack of emotional fulfillment.
Thinking with your heart
Your heart is all about emotion, gut feelings and intuition. This means that when something feels right, you often go for it without fully understanding why—it simply feels right. When making decisions with your heart, it will align with your values, passions and your overall well-being. Along with this, making decisions with your heart also allows for greater happiness and a deeper connection within yourself. Although these benefits seem tempting, they can lead to impulsivity and a failure to think about the consequences of your actions. Thinking this way can cloud your judgment, potentially leading to tough situations when the consequences aren’t fully considered.
The Crossover
In psychology, there is a metaphor called the elephant and the rider, where the elephant represents the heart and the rider represents the head. The elephant deals with automatic gut feelings, intuition and emotions; it requires no effort and often operates below the level of awareness. The rider involves controlled reasoning and logic, requires conscious effort and usually remains above awareness.
This metaphor came about because there is no controlling an elephant, so the rider evolved to assist the elephant, ensuring they can work together. Without their cooperation, there would be chaos. The elephant needs the rider to justify its choices, win others over to its side and consider consequences.
Occasionally, each will make a decision on its own. When the head and the heart work together, the best possible decisions can be made. Depending on the circumstances, one may be more prominent than the other, and that can either lead to chaos or result in one of the best decisions you could make for yourself.
Let us know if you find yourself following your head or your heart more by tagging us on X @VALLEYmag!
