I'm not much of a philosophical thinker, but lately I've been in situations where I've found myself asking: Is it always more appropriate to be reasonable rather than emotionally impulsive?
Socrates thought so. Being an analytical person by nature, I can't help but agree with him - if we let emotion be the primary factor in our decisions, we would find ourselves making more mistakes and being more regretful of past decisions. Taking the time to weigh the pros and cons of decisions and understanding the consequences of each will almost always lessen the probability of a regrettable choice.
I realize that not everyone is like me, and there are some people who wear their emotions on their sleeves and some who have quick tempers. My advice to those people - no matter how much emotional involvement you have in a certain situation, or no matter how heated an argument gets, try as hard you can to be respectful and keep your cool. I know that it is easier said than done, and I've been guilty of letting my emotions get the best of me and letting an argument get out of control, but I've noticed that I've felt better with myself when I've kept my cool and stuck to being rational.
Now I'm not saying that every single decision you make needs to be based on reason, because if that were the case people would spend more time deliberating than actually following through with an action (like ordering ice cream, it's not really a life or death decision). Being spontaneous and impulsive once in a while is exciting and might lead you to try things you never thought you would. However, when it comes to important decisions (college, career, relationships, etc) or social conduct, reason should be at the core of your decision making.
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