You should take time and “sleep on it” before making a big decision in high-pressure situations, because research has found it to be more effective than simply following intuition and making a quick choice. One study found that participants who slept before making a decision on which car to buy kept more important attributes in mind and selected higher-quality cars than participants who made quick decisions did. This is thought to be because the unconscious brain is more able to process details and determine the most relevant ones, thus leading to a more well-educated decision.
More about making decisions:
- Another study found that after participants were given world soccer rankings, the ones who slept on it and allowed their unconscious brains to make decisions were more likely to correctly predict future match winners than those who made immediate predictions.
- It is estimated that up to four hours per day is spent making decisions to resist temptations or desires.
- Teenagers are up to 60% more likely to make unsafe decisions if they are in the presence of their friends, research shows.