How to Optimize Your Decision-Making with Emily Falk

Hello Remarkable Listener,

Ever caught yourself wondering why you made a particular choice, only to realize you can't quite explain the logic behind it?

Emily Falk runs the Communication Neuroscience Lab at Penn, and her new book, What We Value, decodes three of the brain systems orchestrating every choice we make. You can listen to her episode now: https://bit.ly/emilyfalkdecisions

Here's what blew my mind:

• Your brain has a "final common pathway" for decisions that integrates everything from sensory input to moral values into one calculation
• Social rewards literally rewire our neural circuits more powerfully than money (her son proved this by choosing a handwritten certificate over cash)
• Political polarization isn't just ideological—it physically changes how our brains sync with people who share our views
• Stories penetrate decision-making centers that pure facts cannot reach, even when reasoning is impaired

The conversation took an unexpected turn when Emily shared how she optimized visiting her 100-year-old grandmother. Traffic was the barrier preventing regular visits, but switching to biking transformed the commute from a deterrent into a reward. Now she visits multiple times per week instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

This mirrors something profound about choice architecture. We often assume our options are fixed when we actually have tremendous power to redesign the decision landscape. Emily's research shows that understanding these three systems—value, self-relevance, and social-relevance—gives us unprecedented control over our choices.

What struck me most was what she had to say about defensiveness. When her grandmother pointed out that Emily was physically present but mentally absent during visits, Emily's first instinct was to defend rather than listen. But recognizing this pattern allowed her to create space for genuine connection.

The neuroscience here isn't just academic—it's intensely practical for anyone wanting to influence positive change or optimize their own decision-making.

Ready to decode your own decision-making? Listen to my full conversation with Emily Falk— it will change how you see every decision you make: https://bit.ly/emilyfalkdecisions

Mahalo!

Guy