The cognitive process that distinguishes leaders from followers

Taking decisions and influencing the decisions of others is not an easy task. In fact, it's the task of a leader. However, we tend to use this term rather loosely. We recently came across a study that makes things clear for us. A recent study has identified the cognitive process that can play a role in deciding whether a person has leadership traits or not.

Conducted by the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, the study manages to identify what characterises a common decision process that may distinguish followers from leaders. In the study leaders of groups could either make a decision themselves or delegate it to the group. A distinction was drawn between "self" trials, in which the decision only affected the decision-makers themselves, and "group" trials, in which there were consequences for the whole group.

As part of the study, neurobiological processes taking place in the brains of the participants, as they were making the decisions, were examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The researchers found that responsibility aversion was driven by a greater need for certainty about the best course of action when the decision also had an effect on others. This shift in the need for certainty was particularly pronounced in people with a strong dislike of responsibility.

Author Micah Edelson said, "Because this framework highlights the change in the amount of certainty required making a decision and not the individual's general tendency for assuming control, it can account for many different leadership types. These can include authoritarian leaders who make most decisions themselves, and egalitarian leaders who frequently seek a group consensus."

So, are you a leader or a follower?