This is the easiest way to make a decision, research shows

Try to do this next time you're stuck between a multitude of choices.


when thisjust make a decisionThis is not always so cut and dried. In fact, many scenarios of decision making can leave people in limbo for some time, weighing the pros and cons of all their choices. However, there may be a simple way to reduce all this time to think through the possibilities. In fact, one study found that the easiest way to decide is to reduce your options to just two choices.

The study, published in the journalHuman Nature Behavior On 3 February, sought to discover thebest way to take a quick and efficient decision through two experiments with nearly 140 participants. We asked participants to choose between three different foods throughout several rounds with a variety of food choices. During these experiments, the researchers found that rather than weighing the three options equally, participants are often concentrated on the two options they have considered the most promising. And reduce the decision making process in this way has enabled participants to make faster decisions.

"A goal of our research is to understand howPeople act in a world with ever more optionsAs you have with online stores or large shopping centers, "student leader and teacherSebastian Gluth said in a statement. "Usually we do not have to choose between an apple and an orange, but among dozens or hundreds of different apples and oranges."

Doing necessary estimations. Man writing and calculating the pros and cons of his business idea
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So what makes this approach for decisions? According toJanda Sutton, Productivity and personal development expert and host ofThe wildest podcast, Much of this has to do with analysis paralysis, which is where a person can suraller a situation so that their causebecome paralyzed in terms of decision.

"The analysis paralysis is very real and it is easy to be overtaken when you have too many options to choose," said Sutton. "Limit your number of choice in pairs allows you to reduce the likelihood of this happening, which in theory will allow you to make a decision."

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Be clear, Sutton notes that faster decision does not always mean making abetter decision. But when people have trouble making decisions, it is usually not thatThey are bad for making good decisions, she explains. Instead, they tend to be "caught up in the process of decision making itself" why reducing their choice may be helpful.

"It's good to take your time on big decisions, but for small? Do not let them linger," she said. "If you areconstantly stressing yourself over small decisionsYou are more likely to increase your overall anxiety about your sanity in the process, which can cause fatigue in decision making increased. "And if you have trouble making choices, see if you tell theseSigns that you are terrible at making decisions.


Categories: Smarter Living
Tags: Your Brain
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