b'science and decisionsMaking decisions is a wayof learningtook him 15 years to quit smoking. Your brain is constantly weighing options. For example, you may find yourself in a situation where you have a choice: Go out with your friends or stay home and study for an important test. Your brain considers two possible rewards: Doing well in school or enjoying hanging out with friends.Regardless of the choice, Dr. Kable says, your brain is very good at learning from the outcome.If you make a decision and it works out, great, he says. But negative feedback is also [beneficial] as long as Dr. Joseph Kable is interviewed at The DePaul Catholic School. you pay attention to it and learn from it.Imagine that you are a baseball playerThat has a lot of pluses and some deciding in a split second whether tominuses, he says. On the plus side,If you are in the same situation again, swing at a 100 mph pitch. Or imagineyoure willing to do new things. You areyou dont want to make the bad that you are a juror trying to figure outwilling to be brave and put yourself indecision again.whether someone is guilty of a crime. new situations. Its all a learning experience, Dr. One situation requires your brainThe upside is that you discover thingsKable says. And thats how your brain to make a fast decision. In the otherthat you like. Maybe you will try a newhelps you make better decisions in the situation, your brain works moresport, visit a new place, study a newfuture.slowly and thoughtfully. topic, or make a new friend. By Jahmal Goodson and DePaul Healthy Whether you make the decisionBut there can be downsides toTrailblazer Journal staffquickly or slowly, your brain isan exploratory mindset, too. learning from the experience, says Dr.You can put yourself Joseph Kable, a psychology professorin new situations at the University of Pennsylvania. that end up being Theres no replacement for the kindrisky, not working of learning that happens from yourout, and coming own experiencesyour own wins andback to hurt you losses. in some way, Dr. Kable says.In fact, Dr. Kable says, the brain learnsThats something he when something happens that youlearned the hard way. When he didnt expect. And that means its OKturned 18, he bought cigarettes to make mistakes. for the first time. I wanted to When you are young and trying tobe cool like all the people I figure out the world around you, yoursaw on TV and in the movies. brain isnt fully developed. You have anThat was a very impulsive exploratory mindset, Dr. Kable says.decision.You are more willing to try new things. He regretted the decision, and it S p r i n g 2 0 2 5 | H E A L T H Y N E W S W O R K S . O R G5'