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Why Don't You Sleep On It?
thefirelane wrote to mention a New Scientist study that indicates your subconscious mind is a better decision maker than you are. From the article: "The research suggests the conscious mind should be trusted only with simple decisions, such as selecting a brand of oven glove. Sleeping on a big decision, such as buying a car or house, is more likely to produce a result people remain happy with than consciously weighing up the pros and cons of the problem, the researchers say. Thinking hard about a complex decision that rests on multiple factors appears to bamboozle the conscious mind so that people only consider a subset of information, which they weight inappropriately, resulting in an unsatisfactory choice. In contrast, the unconscious mind appears able to ponder over all the information and produce a decision that most people remain satisfied with."
Funny thing is, I dont believe sleep was even introduced into the study. They had people work on puzzles while mulling over a decision.
So, while your point may be valid, sleeping would actually introduce more variables into the study then did the actuall method used in the study.
I've seen this happen on more than one occasion. Mostly I notice it with video games. I'll try for 2 hours to complete a task and not even complete it. Then, the next day I'll get it first try. My opinion is that your brain works through a lot of stuff when you're sleeping. I think this is why babies need a lot of sleep. Everything is new to them, and their brain needs a lot of time to process all that new information. I also find it easier to learn something new if I do it over a longer period, than trying to cram everything in at once. Instead of working 3 hours, you work on something in 1 hour sessions for 3 days. You retain the information a lot better.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
I had a psychology teacher who pointed out that the term ``subconscious'' is pretty much a Hollywood popularized word. You're either talking about being conscious or not being conscious, that is, unconscious. The writer of the article seems to agree with her because they don't use the term subconscious. Sorry to nitpick, but the word unconscious communicates the idea more clearly, while the subconscious is vague. Besides, I think it's safe to say that if you're asleep, you're unconscious.