Neurologist Antonio Damasio studied patients whose damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex had blunted their emotions. Their intelligence and reasoning tested normal, yet their lives fell apart: disastrous decisions and endless dithering over trivial choices. Far from clouding reason, emotions act as a compass for picking between options.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.