A couple of years ago, researchers at the University of Amsterdam made a rather startling assertion:
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is not always advantageous to engage in thorough conscious deliberation before choosing...
Although we investigated choices among consumer products in our studies, there is no a priori reason to assume that the deliberation-without-attention effect does not generalize to other types of choices--political, managerial, or otherwise. In such cases, it should benefit the individual to think consciously about simple matters and to delegate thinking about more complex matters to the unconscious.
(Dijksterhuis et al, "On Making the Right Choice: The Deliberation-Without-Attention Effect," Science, Vol 311, 17 February 2006, 1005-1007.)
One science editor summarized (and elaborated a bit, on the way):
Scientists have discovered the best way to make a decision is to collect the information you need, forget about it, and then trust your instincts to get it right.
Many of us find that hard thinking about complex decisions is, well, hard. So the idea that we'll make better decisions if we just go with our gut or, better yet, take a nap has some appeal. Unfortunately, we may not be off the hook:
Neither snap judgments nor sleeping on a problem are any better than conscious thinking for making complex decisions, according to new research.
The finding debunks a controversial 2006 research result asserting that unconscious thought is superior for complex decisions, such as buying a house or car. If anything, the new study suggests that conscious thought leads to better choices.
Do the hard work of critical thinking; get a good night's sleep; make a decision; and act. Don't worry, there will be a new, difficult, complex decision to face tomorrow.
Comments