ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Going with your gut leads to more personal and certain decisions

Intuitive decision-making gives the impression that we own our choices.

Tibi PuiubyTibi Puiu
September 10, 2018
in News, Psychology
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit
decision cross-roads
Credit: Pixabay.

At every turn, life faces us with making a decision. Rarely do we resolve such situations by consciously weighing in the pros and cons. Instead, most of the time we trust our feelings — we go with our gut. According to a new study, decision-making based on feelings leads to more certain attitudes toward a given choice than focusing on logic. What’s more, gut feeling-based decisions are more personal, which can change a person’s behavior, for better or worse.

Researchers at the universities of Toronto Scarborough and Yale devised four experiments totaling more than 450 participants. In each experiment, the volunteers had to choose from a selection of similar items, such as different DVD players, mugs, apartments, or restaurants. We all know the struggle.

Some participants were asked to make a deliberate and informed decision based on logic while others had to make a gut-based, intuitive one. After the fact of the matter, they had to respond to a series of questions about their choice.

Those in the intuitive- gut-based decision group were more inclined to agree with statements that the decision reflected their true selves. They were also more certain of their decision and more likely to advocate for them.

For instance, when asked to publicize their choice between two restaurants by emailing the decision to their friends, people who picked a place intuitively were more likely to do share the choice with more people.

“This suggests that focusing on feelings doesn’t just change attitudes — it can change behavior, too,” said lead researcher Sam Maglio, PhD, an associate professor of marketing at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

But what was really surprising was how willing people were to quickly make a decision on the fly.

“So much folk wisdom says that we should eschew intuition because careful deliberation is thought to be the surest path to good choices, but we can’t escape our gut feelings,” said Maglio.

“In making decisions, people must decide not only what to choose, but how to choose it,” he added. “Our research suggests that individuals focusing on their feelings in decision-making do indeed come to see their chosen options as more consistent with what is essential, true and unwavering about themselves.”

Decision-making based on instinct is also surprisingly accurate. A previous study conducted by psychologists at Tel Aviv University found that participants were as much as 90% accurate when asked to quickly choose the correct average value for sequences of pairs of numbers. Intuitively, the human brain has the capacity to take in many pieces of information and decide on an overall value, the researchers explained at the time.

RelatedPosts

Humans are naturally inclined towards generosity – faster, spontaneous decisions are generous, well thought ones are selfish
Humans are wired to be good in nature – cooperation outweighs selfishness
Our brains get hit by epiphany before they let us in on it too, researchers find
Going with your gut: decision-making based on instinct alone 90% accurate of the time, study shows

However, Maglio says intuitive decision-making is a double-edged sword. On one hand, going with your gut can help people stick to important life choices, such as losing weight or studying for a new career, because they feel like they own the choice. On the other hand, gut-based decisions can lead to entrenched views — politics is a prime example.

“When digging our heels in is a good thing, like making sure we hop on the bike every day, there’s little downside and a lot of benefit. But dug-in heels give way to stubbornness and isolationism in the blink of an eye,” said Maglio. “When our political attitudes are made intuitively and make us certain that we’re right, we shut ourselves off from the possibility that we might be even a little bit wrong. For this reason, perhaps a bit of the openness facilitated by deliberation isn’t a bad thing after all.”

The findings were reported in the journal Emotion. 

Tags: gut feelingintuition

Share9TweetShare
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. He has a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in renewable energy systems.

Related Posts

Image credits Gerd Altmann.
Mind & Brain

Our brains get hit by epiphany before they let us in on it too, researchers find

byAlexandru Micu
8 years ago
Good vs Evil
Psychology

Humans are wired to be good in nature – cooperation outweighs selfishness

byTibi Puiu
13 years ago
decision-making
Psychology

Going with your gut: decision-making based on instinct alone 90% accurate of the time, study shows

byTibi Puiu
13 years ago
Psychology

Humans are naturally inclined towards generosity – faster, spontaneous decisions are generous, well thought ones are selfish

byMihai Andrei
13 years ago

Recent news

Science Just Debunked the ‘Guns Don’t Kill People’ Argument Again. This Time, It’s Kids

June 13, 2025

It Looks Like a Ruby But This Is Actually the Rarest Kind of Diamond on Earth

June 12, 2025

ChatGPT Got Destroyed in Chess by a 1970s Atari Console. But Should You Be Surprised?

June 12, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.