## 4 Discussion  
The purpose of the current research was to adopt, for the first time, a neuroscientific approach to explore individual tendencies to rely on different decision-making strategies during a decision-making task based on complex real-life scenarios in which an unexpected event occurs. Moreover, a neuroscientific approach was exploited to investigate not only the explicit components but also the implicit neurophysiological correlates of individual decisional strategies. The analysis performed on behavioral data showed (i) higher values in the T-ds than in the S-ds and I-ds, and (ii) in S-ds compared to I-ds. For the neurophysiological data, instead, the analyses reported (iii) greater activation in the right frontal area (AF8) than in the left temporo-parietal one (TP9) for the theta band; and (iv) higher gamma frontal (AF8) activity in the T-ds compared to the I-ds. Specifically, according to the hypothesis, the behavioral finding revealed that to make an effective and efficient decision in real-life and unpredictable scenarios, the key aspect that drives people is the objective of the task itself. Therefore, in unpredictable and critical decision-making situations, individuals rely on a strategy based on the goal to be achieved and only partially consider the details or the overall contextual elements. This result could be read in line with previous studies [8; 36; 37] which showed that identifying and understanding goals is one of the most critical steps in making good decisions and, at the same time, affects the ability to control the time spent on each task. Moreover, this decisional  
Figure 3: EEG results: gamma band. The bar chart shows significant differences for the gamma band in Strategy \(\times\) Electrodes, with higher activity in T-ds compared to I-ds in AF8. Bars represent \(\pm\)1 standard error and stars (*) mark statistically significant comparisons. The more intense color in the rendering of the head (below) represents the increase in EEG power at the specific EEG electrode for each strategy. strategy, as opposed to the S-ds, which focuses on contextual factors and exhaustively searching for all available information, would ensure more efficient management of cognitive resources and enable faster and more effective decision-making. In this perspective, the T-ds would optimize cognitive load and increase the probability of success even under conditions of uncertainty. Additionally, the reason for individual predisposition to adopt T-ds rather than S-ds may be influenced by the context in which people are used to working and making decisions. Indeed, the need to deal with unforeseen events, make quick decisions, and cope with possible changes while always keeping in mind the different daily activities and personal goals, requires being able to properly divide the cognitive load and time to be devoted to each activity. In this sense, adopting S-ds, although it could represent the most comprehensive strategy, may involve a lot of cognitive effort, which is often unnecessary, and take time away from other tasks. Therefore, the individual predisposition to T-ds could be the most effective and efficient strategy for coping with the complexity of the decision-making environment in which people operate. Moreover, the second behavioral result supported the previous description of decisional strategies and their level of complexity, highlighting how the S-ds, which is a comprehensive strategy including both situational aspects and features of the context, is more preferred compared to the I-ds, the simplest and least rational strategy, which may require little time for decision-making and less cognitive effort but also a possible ineffective decision. Regarding the neurophysiological correlates of individual decisional strategies, results provided further evidence on the mechanisms that guide decision-making strategies.