Your brain is lying to you: Why you do what you do

YOUR mind is a masterful storyteller - but not always an honest one. It magnifies your fears, clings to familiar patterns even when they hurt you, and convinces you that your thoughts are purely logical when emotions are actually steering the ship.

- SANJITH HANNUMAN

SELF-DIRECTED neuroplasticity -- intentionally rewiring your brain through active reflection -- is a powerful, science-based method to break undesirable habits and create healthy ones, says the writer.

(Ron)

Understanding these psychological truths isn’t just fascinating — it’s transformative. Research in cognitive psychology reveals that people form opinions based on emotions like fear, contempt, and anger, rather than relying on facts. Even when we believe we are thinking logically, our feelings are making the decisions while our rational mind simply justifies them afterward.

This isn’t weakness - it's human design. Your brain uses systematic shortcuts to help process complex information quickly. These mental shortcuts, while efficient, create what psychologists call cognitive biases = systematic patterns of deviation from rationality in judgement. Your mind doesn’t show you reality as it is; it filters everything through your unique lens of experiences, beliefs, and biases .

Your brain’s primary job isn’t making you happy - it's keeping you alive. This survival mechanism explains why you stay in unfulfilling jobs, toxic relationships, and destructive habits. The familiar feels safer than the unknown, even when logic tells you otherwise. Your ancient brain prefers predictable discomfort over uncertain possibility.