A recent study on the brain’s decision-making processes indicated that smarter people took longer to answer complex situations.

Those with lower intellect or less brain synchronization were shown to “jump to conclusions” rather than wait for their other brain regions to finish processing the situation.

Berlin Institute of Health at Charite (BIH) and Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin researchers simulated 650 participants’ “personalized brain models” to develop a “general” human brain model. MRI brain scan data and biological process mathematical models were used to create the “general” model.

The researchers observed that higher-intelligent models took longer to accomplish difficult tasks but made fewer mistakes.

Each of the brain’s 100 billion neurons communicates with an estimated 1,000 other neurons to build an unfathomable network, enabling its astonishing range of talents.

In silico brain models and MRI scans indicated slower solvers had a stronger average functional connection, or temporal synchronization, between brain areas.

The simulations showed that increased synchronization allows frontal lobe brain networks to delay choices.

Low synchronization prohibited working memory from storing decision-making information.

“Synchronisation, i.e., the formation of functional networks in the brain, alters the properties of working memory and thus the ability to ‘endure’ prolonged periods without a decision,” said research lead author Michael Schirner.

An simple task is braking at a red light, but a hard task is systematically figuring out the optimal road map path.

Participants identified logical principles in a sequence of patterns with increasing complexity in the research. The brain model showed a winner-take-all battle between neuronal groups engaged in a decision, with stronger evidence winning.

Complex judgments need neuronal groups to leap to conclusions due to insufficient evidence.

In harder problems, you must preserve earlier progress in working memory while you investigate different solution pathways and combine them.

”Gathering evidence for a solution may take longer, but it yields better outcomes.

Schirner said the model showed how excitation-inhibition balance at the global level of the brain network influences decision-making and working memory at the more granular level of neuronal groups.

The Human Connectome Project, a US endeavor exploring neural connections in the brain since September 2010, recruited 650 people.