Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Nigel Farage all have something in common with us -- bad decisions. Yes the level of terribleness differs for each of us but for the most part, when it happens we all blame that small internal voice.
Consciousness -- the internal dialogue that seems to govern one's thoughts and actions -- is a phenomenon that has baffled scientists for a long time.
It's the constant state of awareness that permeates pretty much every aspect of everyday life from tasting chocolate to feeling blue on a Monday morning.
It has also been credited for our decision-making process.
However, a new study suggests that it may have less control than what we initially thought.
Associate Professor of Psychology, Ezequiel Morsella's believes that consciousness acts more like a third party when it comes to the decision making process.
In a paper published by the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences Morsella suggests that it is merely an "interpreter" presenting information to us but does not actively 'act upon the knowledge that is shared."
Morsella calls his hypothesis the "Passive Frame Theory," which states that all consciousness does is relay information that controls voluntary actions or "goal orientated movement" -- it does not control our actions.
What it does do, according to Morsella, is keep repeating certain actions but it can not differentiate between what you should and should not be doing.
Our thoughts are a prime example of this. He explains: "Why do you have an urge or thought that you shouldn't be having?
Because, in a sense, the consciousness system doesn't know that you shouldn't be thinking about something.
"An urge generator doesn't know that an urge is irrelevant to other thoughts or ongoing action."
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So who or what is responsible for the dire decisions we make? Frustratingly, Morsella's theory, which has taken him 10 years to develop doesn't actually have an answer for us.
However, his findings could shed more light on mental disorders and he anticipates that it will be a while before his theory becomes easier to swallow.
"The number one reason it's taken so long to reach this conclusion is because people confuse what consciousness is for with what they think they use it for."
Next time you make a bad decision, don't be too harsh on yourself.