The Illusion of Free Will: Are You Really Making Your Own Choices?

Let’s say you randomly pick strawberry ice cream over vanilla. No big deal, right? Just a choice.

But… was it really?

What if I told you that your brain may have made that decision before you even became aware of it?

That is exactly what neuroscientist Benjamin Libet explored. In a famous experiment, people were asked to press a button whenever they felt like it. Their brains showed activity milliseconds before they consciously decided to press it.

Basically, your brain might decide before you do.

It sounds wild, but the truth is, we are constantly being influenced by things we do not even notice.

Like this one time, I went to the market with full intent to buy a basic file for school. Just a regular one. But then I saw this pastel pink one with a cute bear on the front, not even remotely practical. Yet something in me went, “This. This is the one.” I bought it without hesitation. Only later did I realise it looked exactly like the aesthetic study setups I had been seeing on Pinterest the whole week. I thought I was making a fresh choice, but my brain had been soaking up visuals the entire time.

Same thing happened with a pet dress I bought for my cousin’s dog this frilly lemon yellow outfit with bows (too much? maybe). I swore it was random, but looking back, I had just watched a reel of a Pug wearing the same color and thought it was “sooo cute.” That image stuck with me, quietly shaping what I thought I wanted.

It’s kind of unsettling to realize how much of what feels authentic is really the result of mental shortcuts, habits, and subliminal influence.

But here is the good news: once you are aware of it, you can slow down.

Next time you’re about to make a quick choice, from what to wear, to what to post, try asking:

“Why this?”

If the answer sounds like “because I just feel like it,” dig a little deeper.

Free will does not mean being totally unpredictable.

It means noticing what is pulling your strings and deciding whether you want to be pulled.