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Guest Essay

By Emily Falk

Dr. Falk is a neuroscientist and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

It can be hard to align a meaningful life with the human craving for instant gratification. Many of the goals we care about most require planning and effort to achieve, yet our brains are configured to pursue rewards that come as soon as possible. Even deciding how to spend a weekend can feel like an impossible negotiation of trade-offs: Work or family? Save money or go out with friends? Rest or show up for a cause you care about?

Understanding how our brains weigh these decisions can help us bridge what feels good now with what truly matters. Recalibrating our decision-making process can help. That means making time to identify our bigger goals and thinking through clear and specific steps toward them. Then we can find ways to make small choices feel rewarding in both the near and the long term. Seeking out social rewards, reframing our choices and making small changes to how we consider each decision can help. This can make it easier to take action — even when challenges feel overwhelming.

Humans

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