Irrational Decision-making under Acute Stress: The Perspective of Cognitive Function

Abstract

In critical situations, such as the exposure to acute stress, we often make irrational choices. Biological responses to critical events stimulate the autonomic nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system, which regulate decision-making via those regions of the brain concerned with updating information and processing emotions. Previous studies have revealed that such biological responses have temporal effects on cognition and behavior. The current review summarizes empirical findings that investigate how acute stress affects decision-making and cognitive functions. We focus on neural and biological mechanisms as temporal factors and discuss their adaptive roles as aspects of cognitive functions in response to critical events.