5 decision-making lessons humans can learn from insects

Making the right decision at the right time can be difficult. Whether it is choosing between two options or making a major personal or professional decision, hesitation can consume valuable time. Decisions made in anger, haste or under the influence of emotion can also lead to regret later.

Surprisingly, some insects, despite having far simpler brains than humans, display remarkable abilities to assess situations and make effective choices. A BBC report examining the behaviour of fruit flies, ants, bees, locusts and cockroaches highlights five lessons humans can learn to make better decisions.

Fruit flies: Resist the temptation of instant rewards

Fruit flies appear capable of looking beyond immediate attraction when choosing food. Research suggests they consider both their surroundings and their own physiological needs before making a choice.

When faced with options that offer similar immediate rewards, they can take time to assess them. Faced with sweet but less nutritious food and bitter but nutritious food, they may favour the option offering greater long-term benefits.

The lesson for humans is simple: do not let instant pleasure or gain overshadow long-term consequences.

Ants: Narrow down choices through collective action

Having too many options can lead to what experts call “choice overload.” Ant colonies face a similar challenge when searching for food, but they have an effective way of dealing with it.

Scout ants explore different routes and leave chemical trails called pheromones. Routes that lead quickly to food receive stronger pheromone signals, gradually directing more ants towards them. The colony can therefore identify the most efficient route without any central authority.

This behaviour inspired ant colony optimisation, an approach now used to solve problems involving transportation, logistics and scheduling.

Bees: Verify information before deciding

Bees use an impressive collective process when choosing a new nesting site. Scout bees search for potential locations and return to the colony to communicate their findings through a behaviour known as the “waggle dance.”

The more promising a location is, the more vigorous and prolonged the dance. Other bees then inspect the sites themselves before the colony eventually settles on the option that receives sufficient support.

For humans, the lesson is clear: important decisions should not rest on a single opinion. Gather information, verify it and consider multiple perspectives.

Locusts: Pause when you are uncertain

Locusts offer another useful lesson: sometimes the best response to uncertainty is to stop.

When a group faces conflicting directions, locusts can temporarily pause before changing course. Research suggests that having the opportunity to remain neutral can also help human groups reach decisions more efficiently.

For people, that means a short pause during a difficult decision can provide an opportunity to reassess the situation rather than reacting impulsively.

Cockroaches: Make room for different opinions

Groups made up of people who think alike may reach decisions quickly, but that does not necessarily make those decisions better.

Research on cockroaches has found that groups containing both adventurous individuals and more cautious ones can find safe shelter more efficiently. A diversity of behaviours can therefore help a group reach an effective collective decision.

The lesson: do not dismiss dissenting views simply because they slow the decision-making process. Different perspectives can improve the final choice.

Small creatures, big lessons

Fruit flies teach us to look beyond immediate rewards. Ants demonstrate how to narrow down multiple choices. Bees highlight the value of gathering and verifying information. Locusts show why taking a pause can help when choices are unclear, while cockroaches demonstrate the importance of diversity within a group.

Researchers have already drawn inspiration from such insect behaviour to develop algorithms for solving complex human problems.

So, the next time you find yourself stuck between difficult choices, the answer may not be to think faster. Pause, assess the alternatives, verify the information, consider different viewpoints—and perhaps take a lesson from the insects.