Analysis paralysis

We need information to make decisions at every stage of our lives. But, how much information is enough to make a ‘good’ decision. Unfortunately, there is neither fixed rule nor standard guidelines to follow. Choice is entirely individual. We generally believe that more the information better will be the decision. But, is it really so? This is what Sharon Begley has attempted to answer in her article (“Too much data leads to fatigue”, KT, 2nd Mar 2011).

It is now certain that more information, beyond a point, is indeed counter-productive. We often find people locked-up in the state of ‘analysis paralysis’. They either take no decision or pick a poorer alternative. Internet has opened a flood-gate of information. The convenience of finding more information tempts us to continue the search. In the process, we even lose focus on the goal of the search. When should you stop searching for more information? Sometimes, an external deadline helps in breaking this deadlock. We are forced to stop the search and take some decision. But, what if there was no deadline set?

A silver lining is provided by Malcolm Gladwell in his famous book, “The Blink”. According to him, our subconscious mind is like a giant computer which can process enormous amount of information at lightning speed and provide the results in form of ‘gut-feelings’ or intuitions. For example, when we meet a person first time, we instantly get a gut-feeling about that person, while our conscious mind is still busy forming an opinion. We often also realize later that our intuitive feelings were much more on target than the informed opinions provided by our conscious mind. This is because our subconscious mind is able to absorb and process much more information about the person we are meeting, such as the body language, subtle mannerisms, voice quality, body contact, etc. In a group or large gathering, our subconscious mind can even be trained to tap into what is known as ‘universal mind’ with unlimited power. He, therefore, suggests developing sharp receptivity for intuitions / gut-feelings and incorporating the same into the decision making process by the conscious mind.

We must also accept that no decision can be ‘perfect’. We would stop learning if all decisions were perfect. A ‘timely’ decision is more important than a ‘perfect’ decision. We tend to learn more from our bad decisions than a delayed perfect decision. Delaying a decision on the excuse of inadequate information is an attempt to evade responsibility in life. We are too scared to face a failure. However, knocks and shocks of various circumstances, indeed, shape and enrich our lives. Information is a tool, not the goal. Given the same amount of information, different people would take different decisions based on their individual maturity, background and needs. Hence, there cannot be a universally correct decision for everybody. Using the same stock market information, one person feels happy to sell a stock while another person happily buys the same stock. It is important to collect relevant information and pursue methodical analysis. But, we should also keep our intuition antenna up and stop further analysis as soon as strong intuitive feelings arise about a certain course of action.

Next time you go shopping and get lost on many equally tempting items, don’t turn to your spouse or friend for help. They will confuse you more. Just close your eyes while holding each item and turn inward for signals from within. The voice for the most favourable item will be loud and clear. Can there be an easier way to deal with ‘analysis paralysis’?