Why do we make bad decisions?

Serious Topics

Why do we sometimes make choices that we later regret? Why can intelligent people make judgment errors, especially under pressure or in complex situations? This course offers an accessible introduction to the psychology of decision-making. Through the key contributions of cognitive psychology, we will explore the mechanisms that influence our daily choices: emotions, cognitive biases, heuristics, mental overload, thought habits, and context influence. The goal is not to learn how to make perfect decisions but to better understand the workings of our mind in order to recognize the most common pitfalls and develop clearer and more nuanced thinking. Illustrated with numerous examples from everyday life, this course is intended for anyone curious to better understand their own psychological functioning.