Chapter 4: Why I Keep Buying Phones I Don't Need

Confession time: I used to buy a new phone every six months. Not because I needed one, but because I convinced myself I did. I used to be a smartphone addict. Not the "scrolling through social media for hours" kind (though guilty of that too), but the "must have the latest phone even though mine works perfectly fine" kind. Every six months, like clockwork, I'd find myself on YouTube watching endless reviews of phones with maybe 10% improvements over what I already owned. And then? I'd start building my case.

"This camera will revolutionize my photography!" I'd tell myself, conveniently ignoring that my current photos were already pretty decent. "The new processor will make me so much more productive!" Never mind that I was already plenty productive. "This phone will make me more organized! A better person, even!" Yeah, I actually thought that. A phone. Making me a better human being.

Deep down, I knew it was all nonsense. But somehow, I'd always convince myself, march to the store, and repeat the entire cycle six months later when the next shiny rectangle appeared. It was like being stuck in some bizarre Groundhog Day, except instead of Bill Murray, it was me and my credit card having the same argument over and over again.

This ridiculous pattern taught me something crucial about decision-making: our emotions aren't just background music to our thoughts – they're often the conductor of the entire orchestra. And when emotions take the stage, our biases become their backup dancers, following every emotional cue without question.

Your Emotions Are Running the Show (Whether You Know It or Not)

Here's the thing about emotions and biases – they're basically best friends who enable each other's worst habits. Think of emotions as that friend who always says "You should totally do it!" while biases are the friend who provides all the "logical" reasons why you absolutely should.

Our brains operate with what psychologists call two systems (don't worry, I'll keep the geek level manageable). There's the "fast" system – your gut reaction, emotional, jumps-to-conclusions brain. Then there's the "slow" system – your analytical, thinks-things-through, reads-the-fine-print brain. Guess which one wins when emotions are running high? Yep, the fast one takes the wheel faster than a teenager grabbing car keys.

As a wise person put it: "The intuitive mind is a powerful servant, but a terrible master." Basically, your gut feelings are great for quick decisions like "Should I pet this friendly dog?" but maybe not so great for "Should I buy this phone that costs more than my monthly rent?"

Five Ways Emotions Turn You Into a Bad Decision Machine

So how exactly do emotions turn us into bias-powered decision-making machines? Here are five ways this plays out in real life:

1. Anxiety Turns You Into a Threat-Detection Machine

Remember being a kid and how every shadow looked like a monster when you were scared? Well, adult anxiety works similarly, except now the monsters are potential job losses, relationship problems, or that weird noise your car just started making.

I learned this the hard way during childhood trips to visit my grandparents. The journey included 100 kilometers through what was known as a "risky" region – stories flew around about robberies, missing luggage, and drivers who'd charge you double just because they could. By the time we'd get in those shared rides, I was basically a miniature detective, convinced every driver was plotting against us travelers.

Looking back, I realize these drivers were just people doing their jobs with rough voices and direct communication styles. Sure, some bad incidents happened, but they were rare. My anxiety had turned me into a threat-detection machine, seeing danger in every interaction. When you're anxious, everything looks threatening.

2. The "Good Vibes" Trap (aka Why I Failed That Interview)

Early in my career, I had what I thought was the world's best job interview. After answering the technical questions, the interviewer and I got into this amazing conversation about our daily commutes – he spent six hours traveling, I spent two, and we bonded over traffic horror stories and monsoon nightmares. I walked out thinking, "Nailed it! We practically became best friends!"

Plot twist: I got rejected.

At first, I was baffled. How could such a great conversation lead to rejection? Then it hit me – my good mood had completely misread the situation. He'd probably already decided I wasn't the right fit after my initial answers, and the casual chat was just him being polite while filling time. But because I felt good about our connection, I interpreted everything through rose-colored glasses.

This is what psychologists call the "affect heuristic" – we make decisions based on how something feels rather than objective analysis. If it feels right, we assume it is right. It's like judging a movie by how much you like the lead actor rather than the actual plot. Sometimes Matthew McConaughey's charm can't save a terrible script, you know?

3. Mood-Congruent Memory: Your Brain's Biased DJ

Your current mood is basically a DJ that only plays songs matching your vibe. Happy? Your brain queues up all your greatest hits. Sad? Time for the "worst moments of my life" playlist. This creates a feedback loop that can seriously mess with your judgment.

Remember my smartphone addiction? When I was excited about a new phone, my brain would conveniently remember all the times technology genuinely improved my life while completely forgetting about buyer's remorse from previous purchases. It's like my memory had selective amnesia, perfectly curated to support whatever I was feeling in the moment.

4. Emotional Tunnel Vision: When Feelings Become Blinders

High emotions create tunnel vision faster than a horse wearing blinders. When you're angry, sad, or overwhelmingly excited, your thinking becomes laser-focused and unfortunately, much narrower. You stop considering alternative viewpoints and default to quick, biased judgments.

This is why social media arguments are so unproductive – everyone's emotional intensity makes them blind to nuance. It's like trying to have a reasonable discussion while wearing noise-canceling headphones. As the saying goes, "When emotion comes in, the intellect goes out."

5. Desire: The Ultimate Confirmation Bias Fuel

Here's where my smartphone story gets really embarrassing. When I really wanted a new phone, I became like a lawyer building a case, except I was both the attorney and the judge, and I really wanted the defendant (my wallet) to lose.

I'd seek out positive reviews while avoiding negative ones. I'd focus on the few features that seemed genuinely useful while ignoring the dozen features I'd never touch. I'd calculate the "cost per day" to make the price seem reasonable while ignoring the opportunity cost of what else I could do with that money.

This is confirmation bias on steroids. When we desperately want something to be true, our emotions turbocharge our ability to find "evidence" supporting our desire. As Henri Bergson noted, "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." And boy, was my mind prepared to comprehend why I needed that phone.

These aren't just personal quirks – they're universal patterns that show up everywhere in modern life.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In our ancestral days, this emotional-bias partnership made sense. Fear helped our ancestors assume every rustling bush was a predator (better safe than sorry). But in our modern world, this same system can lead us astray.

Take brand loyalty – if you love a particular tech company, you might dismiss negative reviews as fake or biased while embracing positive ones as gospel truth. Your emotional attachment creates a protective bubble around your favorite brand, kind of like how Star Wars fans will defend even the most questionable sequel decisions.

Or consider how we process news that aligns with our political beliefs. Information that confirms what we want to believe feels satisfying and gets filed under "obviously true," while contradictory information feels uncomfortable and gets labeled as "fake news" or "biased reporting." Our desires literally shape our reality.

The Secret Weapon: Catching Yourself in the Act

Here's the good news – understanding this emotional-bias connection is like having x-ray vision for your own decision-making. Once you know how emotions pull the strings, you can start catching yourself in the act.

Now when I feel that familiar excitement about a new gadget, I force myself to wait 48 hours before making any decisions. I've learned to recognize when my emotions are writing checks my rational brain wouldn't normally cash. It's like having a really good friend who stops you from texting your ex at 2 AM – sometimes you need that voice of reason when your feelings are running the show.

The key isn't to eliminate emotions – they're part of what makes us human and often provide valuable information. The trick is learning to recognize when they're driving the bus so you can decide whether that's really where you want to go.

As Maya Angelou wisely said, "When we know better, we do better." And now that we know how emotions and biases tango together, we're better equipped to make decisions that serve our actual interests rather than just our feelings.

We've covered a lot of ground here – from smartphone addiction to job interview disasters. But here's the million-dollar question: In our modern, interconnected world, are these mental shortcuts still helping us, or are they causing more problems than they solve? Time to find out whether our trusty biases are still the heroes of our story or if they've turned into the villains of our digital age.