Making important decisions causes us to think but how do we make a decision out of fear? Oftentimes in business, quick and abrupt decisions come about due to fears of losing revenue, a potential customer, etc. but what causes that fear to be there in the first place?

The answer to that question starts in the brain. The amygdala, which is considered to be the Reptilian portion of the brain, plays a key role in storing emotional events encountered on a daily basis. With certain fears, the amygdala is reached by sensory stimuli and then form memories of the event. Throughout this process, the body responds to fears by increasing the heartbeat, causing the person to freeze, or increased respiration.

As a result of this, the body then goes into a “fight or flight response” and the blood within the body is directed to different parts. With the blood being redirected to the lungs, heart, and other muscles, the body only keeps enough blood in the brain to keep it functioning and this decreases the ability to think rationally or creatively during the situation. In this situation, the brain cannot develop alternative solutions to the situation and can only decide whether to “fight” the situation or take a “flight” from it.

While this natural function is good to use during emergencies, it has also come into use during other stressful and fearful periods as well. Oftentimes, this plays a role in business when someone is fear of losing a  job, losing a client, or getting yelled at by their boss. The same natural reaction from the fear caused by these possible events occurs and causes the person to go into a “fight or flight response.” During this time, decisions made are often not thought through rationally and can lead to poor choices.