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How does the human brain make a http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giftough decision? What circumstances and situations influence our brain's ability to think clearly and recognize our true wishes and desires? The Last Minute Phenomeon is a specific facet of the myriad psychological situations in which the brain makes a decision under duress.

Often times we hear our friends say that they are torn between two choices. Whether we are deciding amongst food options, colleges, or weekend plans different choices often appear to benefit the recipient equally. People often say that they could go either way, or that they like two things equally. The fact is that an individual's different choices are by definition not the same. In an ideal state of perfect mental clarity and optimal brain performance, we could choose the option that we really prefer. The Last Minute Phenomenon is an umbrella concept encompassing a class of several methods that can help unlock the preferences and inclinations that are clouded and lost in the dark caverns of your brain.


Here are two examples of Last Minute Phenomena...

1) Flipping a Coin

You have a dilemma -- you are ambivalent vis a vis making a decision from two choices. The reality is that your brain cannot adequately reveal your true preference. This mental obfuscation leads you to believe that the two choices are identically appealing.

For example, assume you are planning a vacation. You ask yourself, "should I spend my vacation in Northern California or in Florida?" Here is the solution. You assign California to heads and Florida to tails. After flipping the coin, if it lands on heads you will vacation in California. "Ok, here it goes," you say with a tinge of disquietness. You remind yourself that this vacation will consumer a significant portion of this year's earnings. You do not want to make the wrong decision and have regrets later. Ping, the coin travels through the air. Its velocity reaches zero then becomes negative. "Oh no, oh my god! What if it's tails?!? I hope it isn't tails. Please be heads." In your brain you feel a sudden strange sensation, bam! Right there, it just happened. Now you have your answer. Right before the coin landed, you knew very clearly which option you preferred (in this example you obviously decided to vacation in Northern California).

The Flip-A-Coin Last Minute Exercise put your brain in a state of increased stress and urgency. Prior to the coin flip, you were sitting comfortably on the couch musing about which vacation would be better. When you flipped the coin however, your brain had a schedule to meet. If the brain could not figure out your preferred option, then the coin would decide instead. Your brain had to assemble your preferences, past experiences, fears, and inner sentiments into a neat package used to determine which choice you would be more suitable.

2) Memorizing Data

You are trying to memorize some information. In one column you have the prompt word and in the other column you have the answer. You cover the answer with a piece of paper. You can't remember the answer, so you begin to pull the paper down so that you can recite the answer and get a step closer to internalizing the data point. As the paper is about to reveal the answer, you suddenly remember what the it is.

This often happens to me when I am memorizing foreign language vocabulary. Let's say I have the English word 'strong' in one column and I have a small piece of paper covering the Chinese equivalent in the next column. I cannot remember, so I slowly lower the paper to review the Chinese word. As I am about to see the equivalent word, my brain quickly has an efficient burst, putting together various experiences and studying sessions to bring the Chinese word to the forefront of my brain.

There certainly must be an efficient way of tricking the brain to beneficially utilize this Last Minute Phenomenon for improved memory recall and decision making. Unfortunately, I have not had much time to think about what those applications could be. Simply flipping a coin in order to activate The Last Minute Phenomenon would not work because your brain has to be convinced that the destiny of the coin outcome will determine the decision. In other words, the brain has to feel an increased level of urgency and immediacy.

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Last Minute Phenomenon. Also, let me know if you have had similar experiences.

Best,
John

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