emotions overpower reasoning when brain overloaded

baba shiv is a bald guy from stanford business school
you can see for yourself here

baba made an experiment
he asked participants to remember a number
and then walk down the hall and report the number
on the way down the hall
a woman in a polka dot dress
stopped them, thanked them for participating
and offered them some cake or fruit

people chose cake more often (significantly more often)
when they were given a large 7 digit number to remember

people that had a smaller number to remember
chose the fruit
implying that the higher rational centers of the brain had more bandwidth to
still be rational

so when the brain is pre-occupied
with a lot of rational gymnastics:
facts, figures, etc…
then decisions are more often made
based on emotions rather than reason

is that why dictators and populists come to power during hard times?
what happens when we’re bombarded with information 24/7?

i need to do more yoga.

*Painting above is Marco Fusinato
Mass Black Implosion (Agglomeration, Anestis Logothetis) 2007