Sleepy Decisions
My good friend Bob sent me a very interesting article from a recent story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/02/17 11:07:40 GMT
Scientists discovered what we have all known for years: Big decisions need a bit more time. Time to sleep that is.
Several experiments showed that "conscious thought" means that the brain can only focus on a few things at the same time, which can lead to some aspects being given undue importance.
This leads to what I have heard called "analysis paralysis" or someone's inability to actually make a decision. The good news is that many of these decisions are not critical but ones that require data collection at a normal pace. When making a life or death decision I would not want my doc saying, "hmmmmmmm that looks like a big brain tumor cutting off all the blood to Dr. Mike's brain, but I'm just not sure. I think I will 'Sleep on it' to see if I order another MRI or do surgery..."
This study concerns decisions more along the lines of large purchases such as a house or car.
There is also a flip side to this in that if one is sleep deprived we still do not know how this would affect complex decision making even if left to the unconscious mind. My guess would be that we may not process all of the information on a sleepy brain and could still make the "wrong" choice.
The moral of the story is simple: If you don't sleep on your big purchase decisions you could easily end up with a 2-seater convertible as your only car for a family of 4. But hey -- you sure would get to drive it a lot!
Related Topics: Quiz: Is Lack of Sleep Hurting Your Job Performance?, What Is Your Sleep Personality?
Published: 2006/02/17 11:07:40 GMT
Scientists discovered what we have all known for years: Big decisions need a bit more time. Time to sleep that is.
"A Dutch study suggests complex decisions like buying a car can be better made when the unconscious mind is left to churn through the options. This is because people can only focus on a limited amount of information, the study in the journal Science suggests."
Several experiments showed that "conscious thought" means that the brain can only focus on a few things at the same time, which can lead to some aspects being given undue importance.
This leads to what I have heard called "analysis paralysis" or someone's inability to actually make a decision. The good news is that many of these decisions are not critical but ones that require data collection at a normal pace. When making a life or death decision I would not want my doc saying, "hmmmmmmm that looks like a big brain tumor cutting off all the blood to Dr. Mike's brain, but I'm just not sure. I think I will 'Sleep on it' to see if I order another MRI or do surgery..."
This study concerns decisions more along the lines of large purchases such as a house or car.
There is also a flip side to this in that if one is sleep deprived we still do not know how this would affect complex decision making even if left to the unconscious mind. My guess would be that we may not process all of the information on a sleepy brain and could still make the "wrong" choice.
The moral of the story is simple: If you don't sleep on your big purchase decisions you could easily end up with a 2-seater convertible as your only car for a family of 4. But hey -- you sure would get to drive it a lot!
Related Topics: Quiz: Is Lack of Sleep Hurting Your Job Performance?, What Is Your Sleep Personality?
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