Dr. Fat Was An Intuitive Creation Introduction As A D 297983

Dr Fat Was An Intuitive Creationintroductionas A Decision Making Sc

Dr. Fat was an intuitive creation Introduction As a decision-making scientist I take great pride in being part of the historical tradition of using rationality and the scientific method to make well reasoned decisions. However, I know from reading “Thinking Fast and Slow” and “The Righteous Mind” that most of my decisions are not made by a rational and careful analysis of the options and then logically choosing from them to determine the one with the greatest utility (Haidt, 2012; Kahneman, 2011). Like all humans most decisions I make are made intuitively and only later analyzed by the slower conscious processing for explanations. The story of how I lost approximately 130 pounds and might have gone too far demonstrates the workings of both decision-making systems.

I have been overweight all my life (NIH, 2017). However, my weight was not something I thought about very deeply until recently. The mindless eating that led to me ballooning to 317 lbs was likely influenced by several factors: epigenetics (Jirtle & Skinner, 2007), cultural norms (my parents being raised not to waste food), genetic behaviors reinforcing high-calorie food consumption, advertising influences, the mere exposure effect, and the availability of cheap calories. These effects can generally be attributed to Kahneman’s System 1 or Haidt’s Intuitive Elephant, representing intuitive, automatic decision systems.

These countless decisions to eat high-calorie foods without much conscious thought highlight the power of intuitive decision systems to drive behavior. Kahneman explains this as the “lazy controller,” where System 2, the conscious effortful thought, is often reluctant to override System 1’s fast, automatic responses (Kahneman, 2011). Whenever my weight was brought to my attention, I avoided focusing on it because it was unpleasant to confront. This avoidance is characteristic of System 1’s resistance to effortful override. My System 2 driver, the conscious planner, would attempt explanations and rationalizations, such as dismissing BMI as a flawed health measure or focusing on exercise routines.

My response to the actuarial model demanding higher life insurance premiums marked a turning point. It emphasized the importance of actuarial judgment over subjective opinions, prompting me to commit to weight loss. Inspired by research, I focused on eating less as a practical approach, leading to a weight loss of approximately 130 lbs (Carroll, 2017). Despite some recent regain, I now recognize that lifestyle change driven by habits rather than conscious effort is more sustainable, reflecting research advocating for routine-based health behaviors (Lally et al., 2010). I have learned to develop healthful habits that require minimal conscious attention, trusting my System 2 to maintain discipline without over-relying on the unreliable System 1 responses.

References

• Carroll, A. (2017). The Bad Food Bible: How and why to Eat Sinfully. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• Haidt, J. (2012). The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. Vintage.
• Jirtle, R. L., & Skinner, M. K. (2007). Environmental epigenomics and disease susceptibility. Nature Reviews Genetics, 8(4), 253–262.
• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
• Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2017). Obesity and Overweight. NIH Publication.