We conservatives have known that thinking too much about things is a thoroughly unpopular pastime. Now science has weighed in on the issue. Just in time for the Obama administration, researchers from Northwestern University and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have come to the conclusion that thinking about decisions is counterproductive.
From the article:
In five separate studies, the researchers found that better judgments can often be made without deliberation. In the first study, participants rated Chinese ideograms for attractiveness. In a following study, participants were asked to judge paintings that were widely considered high- or low-quality. Subsequent groups of participants rated jellybeans and apartments. In all the studies, some participants were encouraged to deliberate and others to go with their gut.
The more complex the decision, the less useful deliberation became. For example, when participants rated apartments on just three primary characteristics (location, price, and size) deliberation proved useful. But when the decision became more complex (with nine characteristics) the participants who deliberated made worse decisions.
Well, they did FIVE studies, so they must know what they're talking about. I can imagine public school administrators and social workers encouraging emotional, non-analytical decisions already. On second thought, they've been doing that for years already.
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