Here's a suggestion for the next time you need to make a complicated decision: stop thinking. According to a new study, thinking too hard about a problem leads to poor choices - difficult decisions are best handled by our unconscious minds. While most people are happy to buy a new set of towels without much thought, they are unlikely to buy a new car or house without some serious thought. But Ap Dijksterhuis, a psychologist at the University of Amsterdam, argues that we might be getting these methods of decision-making the wrong way around. He asked volunteers to pick their favourite car from a list of four based on a set of four attributes including fuel consumption and passenger leg room. He gave them four minutes to think about their decision and most people chose the car with the most plus points. When Dr Dijksterhuis made the experiment more complex - 12 attributes rather than four - people could only identify the best car a quarter of the time. This result was no better than choosing at random.

However, when the researchers distracted the participants after showing them the cars (by giving them puzzles to do before asking participants to make their choices), more than half picked the best car. "Conscious thinkers were better able to make the best choice among simple products, whereas unconscious thinkers were better able to make the best choice among complex products," wrote Dr Dijksterhuis in a paper, published today in Science. The problem with thinking about things consciously is that you can only focus on a few things at once. In the face of a complex decision this can lead to giving certain factors undue importance. Thinking about something several times is also likely to produce slightly different evaluations, highlighting inconsistencies.

View: Full Article | Source: The Guardian

hmmm interesting.... i do that sometimes, when theres a decision that takes thinking, i usually end up getting too confused and stop thinking about the problem so i just go with my gut instincts, it usually turns out to be the best way

Yeah...sure...thats cool...

Uh, sorry, she's cute...what were we talking about again? Ah yeah...

I've noticed that works rather well...though, I must admit, its more of an instinctive thing than anything.

Thanks!!! I'l ltry to follow the article's advice?Maybe, hopefully..I don't know...

I may never understand why people quote the whole article.

------

I'd say it makes sense, because I'm sure most of us have had our fare share of big decisions. I'm now reconsidering that camera I was going to purchase that I thought way too much about.

Be still and know I am God.

(However, unconscious thinker sounds even worse than abstract thinker for a description.)

Hmm. I may have to think about this one.

I prefer to think before making any decisions, if it were by instinct I'd regret many choices I made in the past.

For years I have relied on spontaneous choices. I've always thought it was because I was too lazy to really think it through, though.

But this might explain the uncanny amount of luck I have gotten with my decisions.

Yes, I've known it all along. Now if I could just get those smug, hyper intellectuals to shut up.

I play video games 20 times better when I'm on the phone and not thinking about my next move so much. When I focus too hard, I get my a$$ handed to me.

I find your gut instint works on decisions that don't cost you any large amount of money or pride.
But when talking to women, gut instinct isn't always a great idea. They try to trick you and set you up, so sometimes thinking with your, ugh.. brain, is a good idea.
hmm.. nah.. gut instinct is always good.. hehe.