01/05/2023

How to Dispel if Your Inner Voice is Lying to You

Sometimes, 'trusting your gut' can steer you wrong

Going with your gut is a tactic a lot of us use to make decisions, but have you ever wondered where that intel comes from? Dr. Jim Loehr and Dr. Sheila Ohlsson Walker, coauthors of Wise Decisions: A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Choices, call the inner voice that guides you "YODA," which stands for Your Own Decision Advisor. Unfortunately, it can feed you bad information.

Outer voices, such as those from parents, teachers or coaches, often inform your inner voice when you're a child, and YODA becomes an accumulation of them. Ohlsson Walker, behavioral geneticist and senior scientist at the Institute for Applied Research in Youth at Tufts University, calls it "below-the-radar-screen programming that develops over time." However, your YODA may not have been properly trained to deliver the best advice.

YODA also likes to soothe your ego by making excuses about past bad decisions.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.