He discovered that only about seven pieces of information can be held in the part of our brains that makes rational decisions at any given moment. To measure the effect of too much information and its effect on rational decision-making, Stanford psychologists took two groups  and had one group memorize a two-digit number; the other group memorized a seven-digit number. The two groups were then given a choice between two snacks, a rich, gooey slice of chocolate cake or a healthy fruit salad. The “two-digit” group was twice as likely to choose the fruit salad as the “seven-digit” group who more often chose chocolate cake. Those extra five digits overwhelmed the prefrontal cortex so that there wasn't enough processing power leftover to exert self-control.

 

It turns out our rational decision-making capability is fairly limited and is often supplanted by our emotions. We often end up deciding for (or against) what our feelings dictate whenever our brain has more than seven things to remember.

Most of our customers have more than seven things on their mind at one time and most product purchase decisions include more choices than are offered on the cereal aisle. Maybe that’s why so many of you rely on our expertise to help whittle down the choices to a manageable number that are all just right for you. We help minimize the time and emotion spent and free your brain to make other important decisions.