Every decision we make in our whole entire life is effected in some-way by an outside influence. These are things like our environment, emotions, culture, morality, education, the people around us, the experiences we've been through, our fondness/dislike for something, and many other variables.
In some instances, and I'm sure we've all done this, we've made a biased decision. Maybe it's because it backs up our point of view and our way of thinking, or maybe to be a crowd-pleaser, but whatever the reason, I'm sure you've made one.
The problem with making a biased decision is that you think that it will benefit you in some way, which in a lot of cases might be true. Biased decisions can often be bad in the long-run (and short-term), and can have some major effects.
Choosing something because you like it should not be the basis you make a decision on. You should make a decision of logic, taking all of the variables into account.
Other people are sometimes at the receiving end of our biased decision, and although it may be an alright situation for us, they may be in a worse-than-before predicament.
A biased decision is another way of saying a bad decision.
1. Put emotions to one side
Emotions are powerful things. They can drive us forward to do the right things, they can help us to feel happy, and can help us to sympathise. They can also, cloud our judgement of a situation and cause us to become biased.
Don't let yourself make a decision just on the grounds of how you're feeling. If other people who we're not fond of are involved, it can be very easy to make a decision that will benefits you, whilst be bad for them. Is this really a good decision? No. You should make the best decision for everyone and not just yourself, despite what modern media tells you.
2. Don't be Hasty
Don't let yourself make a quick decision on the fact that one sounds better than the other one. Don't let yourself become attached either to one choice more than the other, when this happens, it can become a 'my way or the high way' scenario. Instead, take your time and make the right choice.
If you want to read more about being hasty, here is an older post of mine: The Problems of Hastiness.
3. Ask others
Ask others who may be affected what their take on the situation is. Don't bend to the weight of the vote though, as this can lead you to make the wrong decision. Take it with a pinch of salt. Weigh up all sides, no matter how outweighed one may be, and analyse them in depth.
You'll become a lot better at making better decisions if you do this.
4. Don't be a sheep
As human beings, we all have the tendency to follow the crowd and go-with-the-flow. This is a common cause of biased choices. It's so easy to go with the majority and not with the minority. Often though, many of the people who are in the majority, will only be there because other people are there.
Make the right choice and don't go along with the crowd...unless it's the right decision. :)