Camilleri, A. R. (2023).
Judgment and Decision Making, 18, e32.
Abstract
What are life’s biggest decisions? In Study 1, I devised a taxonomy comprising 9 decision categories, 58 decision types, and 10 core elements of big decisions. In Study 2, I revealed people’s perceptions of and expectations for the average person’s big life decisions. In the flagship Study 3, 658 participants described their 10 biggest past and future decisions and rated each decision on a variety of decision elements. This research reveals the characteristics of a big life decision, which are the most common, most important, and most positively evaluated big life decisions, when such decisions happen, and which factors predict ‘good’ decisions. This research contributes to knowledge that could help people improve their lives through better decision-making and living with fewer regrets.
Introduction
Life is filled with decisions. Most decisions are small and quickly forgotten but others have long-lasting consequences. The commercial success of popular books dedicated to help readers improve their decision-making (e.g., Duke, Reference Duke2020) highlights our desire to choose better. However, not every decision can be carefully researched and reflected on, nor should it. Such cognitive effort should be reserved for the most important decisions; those that are most likely to be consequential to one’s life—the ‘big’ decisions.
In the still-popular board game The Game of Life—originally created in 1860 by the renowned Milton Bradley—players simulate life by making a series of big decisions about college, jobs, marriage, children, and retirement. Does the game accurately reflect reality? What are life’s biggest decisions? What makes them so big? When do they occur? How can we make a good one? Which of them lead to happiness? Can we accurately predict any of these answers? Given that big decisions are often directly responsible for our health, wealth, and happiness, it is surprising how little attention has been given to understand how people tend to approach them (see Galotti, 2007 for an exception). The assumption that small consequential or big hypothetical decisions studied in the lab are good models for real big life decisions seems dubious given that no lab study can replicate all of the relevant factors nor the substantial consequences (Galotti, 2005).
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Conclusions
How your life turns out depends critically on a handful of decisions. Given their vital importance for health, wealth, and happiness, surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding the broad nature of such big life decisions. A better understanding will allow us to be better prepared to make them. This research has taken us some steps forward on that path.
Here are some thoughts:
Psychologists need to understand big life decisions because these decisions critically influence a patient's health, wealth, and overall happiness. This research highlights the significance of these decisions by categorizing and analyzing them, revealing the common characteristics and factors that predict positive outcomes. By understanding how people approach these significant choices, psychologists can better assist patients in improving their decision-making processes. This understanding can help people lead better lives with fewer regrets by making informed decisions that enhance their well-being and satisfaction. Importantly, psychologists are not to make decisions for patients, as that tramples on the patient's autonomy and may be a form of intrusive advocacy, which may harm the patient.
