Why do we sometimes make completely reckless decisions, as if consciously taking risks? It’s all about brain malfunction.
Taking risks is the result of poor self-control. Drunk driving, swimming across a turbulent river, walking on a high parapet are dangerous decisions we make because of malfunctions in the areas of the brain that are responsible for assessing the situation and controlling emotions (prefrontal cortex), as well as working memory (frontal lobes). )*. Moreover, the failure occurs not at the moment of the emergence of desire, but precisely when making a decision. It turns out that by taking risks, we simply do not give the brain a chance to properly double-check everything.
* Published on the website of the scientific journal PNAS – pnas.org on February 3, 2014.