Studies Show the Value of Not Overthinking

WSJdpatton writes "Fishing in the stream of consciousness, researchers now can detect our intentions and predict our choices before we are aware of them ourselves. The brain, they have found, appears to make up its mind 10 seconds before we become conscious of a decision — an eternity at the speed of thought. Their findings challenge conventional notions of choice, writes WSJ's Robert Lee Hotz."

Comments

I believe it.

[zippthorne]

A common trick I like to do to figure out what I'm thinking:

If I'm having trouble deciding something, I flip a coin. Then, I go with the side I was hoping would come up.

Re:I believe it.

[InvisblePinkUnicorn]

And if your decision requires more than a yes/no answer? Do you use a 64-sided die and assign a choice to each side, and then memorize those assignments?

Re:I believe it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure. Don't you? :)

Re:I believe it.

[rnswebx]

What is important, however, is that, despite all this, we can actually, with enough thought, make decisions based on logic, as opposed to "feelings" or "what we think is reasonable."

That's a lot of commas.

Re:I believe it.

[$0.02]

Why would anyone use 64-sided die when 6 coins can do the trick?

Re:I believe it.

[Da Cheez]

One of my old English teachers used to call that a "Comma-kazi."

Re:I believe it.

[Stradivarius]

why can't you order the coins like you ordered the bits?

Re:I believe it.

[hvm2hvm]

I actually made a program that chose randomly from a list of options. I ran it until I was happy with the result :D

Re:I believe it.

[konohitowa]

Apparently because that would be admitting they really didn't understand the solution given.

Re:I believe it.

[riceboy50]

Yeah, I feel that way some days too.

Re:I believe it.

[FiloEleven]

There are some who call me...Tim.

Re:10 seconds.

[oodaloop]

Well, give yourself a little more time and think it over, then maybe you'll accept it.

Choice?

[dfn5]

Their findings challenge conventional notions of choice

There is no choice/free will. Everything is deterministic. At least that's what I told the judge.

Re:Choice?

[MyLongNickName]

I was the judge: I told him that I don't have free will either, and was predetermined to sentence him to 5-10. Underage donkey porn is just sick.

Re:Choice?

[lilomar]

Thank you for thinking of the underage donkeys.

All women do this

[BenEnglishAtHome]

I've never met a sane woman who took more than 10 seconds to decide she'd NEVER sleep with me.

This is news?

Lag!!

[NovaHorizon]

Hah! I knew the gamers that complain about 500Ms lag were full of it!

They haven't even become aware of their decision to shoot within that space of time!

Re:10 seconds.

[linzeal]

This is a study using the mechanical action of pressing buttons. If this was based on people and their wonderful wacky analytic thought processes I would be more impressed, yawn.

Snip FTA...

[Anonymous Coward]

They monitored the swift neural currents coursing through the brains of student volunteers as they decided, at their own pace and at random, whether to push a button with their left or right hands.

But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of the researcher: are you the sort of man who would press the button on the left or on the right? Now, a clever man would press the button on the left, because he would know that only a great fool would press the button on the right. I am a great fool, so I can clearly not press the button on the right. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not press the button on the right.

Researcher: You've made your decision then?

Not remotely! Because these buttons come from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not press the button on the left.

Researcher: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

WAIT TILL I GET GOING! Where was I?

Researcher: Australia.

Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the buttons' origin, so I can clearly not press the button on the right.

Researcher: You're just stalling now.

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?

Re:10 seconds.

[ThePromenader]

The brain is an amazing piece of machinery; it's doubt that makes us 'over-think' and override decisions it instantly makes.

Take throwing a basketball into a hoop for example; there's the 'instinctive' way of going about it, that is to say leaving your brain/body rely on its past experiences/judgement to generate the right angle/force to get it to its target. Then there's the 'white boy' way of going about it: "now, if I have a ball that weighs x kilograms, and the hoop is x height above a lateral distance of x metres"... white boy fucks up most every time.

Re:10 seconds.

[eugene ts wong]

Fascinating. I have the exact opposite experience. I generally make a decision 10 days after receiving the final piece of information that I will use to make the decision. For example, the boss says, "Hey, Eugene. Here's a project for you. Get it done by the end of today.", and then 10 days later, I think to myself, "Hmm, maybe I should get started on that project...".

Re:10 seconds.

[Jay L]

I'm very sure I can't accept it. Having studied various martial arts for the past 30 years, I can tell you with certainty that I can engage in action the instant I decide

I, too, am manly and decisive, with lightning-fast reflexes.

Re:10 seconds.

[Xyrus]

Yeah, you're girlfriend told me. The manly and decisive part is ok, but the lightning fast part, not so much.

~X~

Re:Not really

[Jay L]

Decisive? Yes I am. I have to be in my job and in daily life.

I guess we're just different. I mean, I'm not indecisive, but... well, sorta. Maybe not indecisive, exactly, more like.. well, yes, indecisive. Usually. Not always.

Mostly, though.