*Features Baba Shiv, Professor of Marketing, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Is it best to be emotionless and analytical in decision making? When our goal is to be decisive, the answer is a resounding No. Instead, harnessing the power of emotions is critical. Studies of the neural underpinnings of decision making show that our brains start by evaluating options analytically. But very soon, usually based on first impressions, we create an emotional front-runner. We then continue down a path of predecisional distortion, which biases further evaluation. Rather than creating bad decisions, however, this distortion leads to more confident, committed decision making.

This video teaches: How to be decisive and confident in decision making; Why starting with price can lead to bad decisions; and, How loss aversion trumps opportunity - and how to counter negative emotions.