BBC has an article titled Snap decisions sometimes the best that suggests that trusting your instincts may help you to make better decisions than thinking hard. University College London found making subconscious snap decisions is more reliable in certain situations than using rational thought processes.

Dr Li Zhaoping, of UCL’s Department of Psychology said: “The conscious or top-level function of the brain, when active, vetoes our initial subconscious decision – even when it is correct – leaving us unaware or distrustful of our instincts and at an immediate disadvantage.

“Falling back on our inbuilt, involuntary subconscious processes for certain tasks is actually more effective than using our higher-level cognitive functions.”

Dr Li also said: “The trick is knowing when this applicable or not. Trusting your instincts is only useful in some situations.”

I think we should trust our first instinct or hunch much more than we do. If we do not decide based on it, then at least use it as input in our decision making process.

This was originally posted at another (now extinct) blog of mine.