Why do we rely on our current emotions when making quick decisions?

The 

Affect Heuristic

, explained
Bias

What is the Affect Heuristic?

The affect heuristic describes how we often rely on our emotions, rather than concrete information, when making decisions. This allows us to reach a conclusion quickly and easily, but can also distort our thinking and lead us to make suboptimal choices.

An illustration showing a stern-looking heart pointing a gun at a brain. The text 'Affect Heuristic' is displayed at the top.

Where this bias occurs

Your friend Casey has been invited to audition for a play being put on by a prestigious theater company. Casey has always had a passion for acting, and this would be a big opportunity for them. However, Casey received the invitation the same day they learned they failed their driving test. Not only was Casey angry and upset, but their self-esteem took a serious hit. As a result, they impulsively told the theater company that they were not interested in auditioning for the play, assuming they wouldn’t get the part anyways.

Casey’s negative emotions after failing their driving test led them to overestimate the risks of auditioning for the play. They felt that there was a good chance that they would fail again. This is illogical, as Casey’s driving ability is completely independent of their acting ability. As a result, they are missing out on what could have been a great experience for them. This scenario exemplifies the affect heuristic, demonstrating how we sometimes rely on our emotions instead of logic when making decisions.

Sources

  1. Finucane, M. L., Alhakami, A., Slovic, P., & Johnson, S. M. (2000). The affect heuristic in judgments of risks and benefits. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 13(1), 1–17. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0771(200001/03)13
  2. See 1
  3. System 1 and System 2 Thinking. The Marketing Society. https://www.marketingsociety.com/think-piece/system-1-and-system-2-thinking
  4. Cherry, K. (2020). The Affect Heuristic and Decision Making. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-affect-heuristic-2795028
  5. Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35(2), 151–175. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.35.2.151 
  6. Slovic, P., Finucane, M.L., Peters, E., and MacGregor, D.G. (2000). The affect heuristic. European Journal of Operational Research. 177(2007), 1333-1352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2005.04.006 
  7. Hammond, D., Fong, G.T., McDonald, P.W., Brown, Stephen K., and Cameron, R. (2004). Graphic Canadian Cigarette Warning Labels and Adverse Outcomes: Evidence from Canadian Smokers. American Journal for Public Health. 94, 1142-1445. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.94.8.1442
  8. Skagerlund, K., Forsblad, M., Slovic, P., & Västfjäll, D. (2020). The Affect Heuristic and Risk Perception – Stability Across Elicitation Methods and Individual Cognitive Abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 534206. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00970
  9. King, J., & Slovic, P. (2014). The affect heuristic in early judgments of product innovations. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 13(6), 411-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1491 
  10. Bhullar, N., Hine, D. W., Marks, A., Davies, C., Scott, J. G., & Phillips, W. (2014). The affect heuristic and public support for three types of wood smoke mitigation policies. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 7, 347-356. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-014-0243-1 
  11. Catanese, L. (2024, August 8). Self-regulation for adults: Strategies for getting a handle on emotions and behavior. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/self-regulation-for-adults-strategies-for-getting-a-handle-on-emotions-and-behavior 
  12. Connor, M., & Siegrist, M. (2016). The stability of risk and benefit perceptions: A longitudinal study assessing the perception of biotechnology. Journal of Risk Research, 19(4), 461-475. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2014.988169 
  13. Keller, C., Siegrist, M., & Gutscher, H. (2006). The Role of the Affect and Availability Heuristics in Risk Communication. Risk Analysis, 26(3), 631-639. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2006.00773.x 
  14. Lepper, M. R. (1994). "Hot" versus "cold" cognition: An Abelsonian voyage. In R. C. Schank & E. Langer (Eds.), Beliefs, reasoning, and decision making: Psycho-logic in honor of Bob Abelson (pp. 237–275). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
  15. Slovic, P., Finucane, M., Peters, E., & MacGregor, D. G. (2002). The affect heuristic. In T. Gilovich, D. Griffin, & D. Kahneman (Eds.), Heuristics and biases: The psychology of intuitive judgment (pp. 397–420). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808098.025 

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