I've Got a Hunch...

Although there is no rhyme or reason, more and more I've found myself making decisions purely on whim, or my gut feeling. Perhaps you have too. In general, things work out or at least work out not too badly. I've learned to trust my gut, even if the 'logical' part of me tries to rationalize it.

Easier said than done, following your intuition never made much sense. Until now.

Some Dutch researchers have tried to quantify the effect, and their results agree with common knowledge: your guts know best.

They asked people to buy clothes or housewares (defined as 'simple purchases', unless you're a girl. Zing!), and a separate group of people to buy furniture (defined as a more involved decision making process). Their results:

Department-store shoppers who made simple purchases were happier if they had thought consciously about their choice in advance. IKEA shoppers, on the other hand, were happier with their choice if they hadn't mulled them over.

At least when making some complicated decisions, such as choosing a car or house, the results suggest that we would actually do better to go with our gut.

This seems to suggest that our unconscious mind is far more important than we originally thought. Perhaps the mind is able to quickly move through a huge amount of information and produce the most prudent decision, unknowingly to our conscious mind.

With that being said, I feel that I need to eat some pie. Citing current research, I shall indulge.