We have two separate response systems: (1) Challenges with a sense of immediacy tend to elicit snap judgments and responses. They are rapidly and reflexively processed within our brain's innate stress-driven, conceptual (principally subcortical) problem-solving system. This system responds quickly on the basis of the small amount of emotionally intense information that's typically available in such situations. It's thus quite vulnerable to making impetuous, racist, sexist, or elitist judgments that focus on only a few highly visible emotion-charged elements. (2) Challenges without a sense of immediacy are processed more slowly and reflectively by our brain's curiosity-driven, analytical (principally cortical) problem-solving system.

We thus will respond reflexively to a car moving swiftly toward us (conceptually concerned only with its looming rapid approach), but we'll generally respond reflectively to a car on a dealer's lot, if we're considering its purchase (and are thus concerned with its cost, service history, and possible problems).

Our subconscious rapid reflexive system is the default system because it responds to dangers and opportunities that require an immediate decisive (fight-flight) response that will enhance survival. When it isn't immediately obvious whether a reflexive or reflective response is the more appropriate, both systems simultaneously search for a solution, with the reflexive system typically responding first.

Most of us thus ad hoc our way through life with a long string of regrets and apologies because of the late arrival of our brain's (often better) reflective response.