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Six decisions you shouldn't make without reading this

Being decisive is hard in a world of so many choices. But getting good at making decisions - big and small - will change your life

Modern life is packed full of decisions, from what clothes to put on in the morning to which candidate to hire to what to eat for dinner. And as we are evermore spoiled for choice, we seem to be more and more paralysed by indecision.

But whether they're big or small, there's always a right way to tackle these decisions, so don't make another until you've read our expert, Noreena Hertz', tips.

An academic and economist, Hertz has written a new book to help make us better at decisions. So we asked her how we should approach a few key life decisions (and a few less key ones too).



Decision 1: Should you buy a property?


Did you know that if a flat smells of freshly baked bread when you go round to see it, you’re more likely to want to put in an offer? Or that if your estate agent shows you somewhere expensive first you’re likely to “anchor” your thinking around that price, meaning that everything she subsequently shows you will seem a bargain in comparison?

So before you decide that the property you’ve just been to is your dream home, think about whether if you hadn’t been to that pricey pad first, you’d still think it was a such a deal. Ask yourself too if it hadn’t smelled that good, might you be thinking of it less favourably?

Research shows that just by posing these kind of questions to yourself, you‘ll be in a much better mindset to make a smart decision.


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Decision 2: Picking your online dating photo

Studies show that men rate women as more physically attractive and sexually desirable when their pictures are superimposed on a red background rather than a white, grey, blue or green one.

And when researchers sent multiple French waitresses to work wearing different coloured T shirts, they found that men tipped them more if they were wearing red rather than black, white, blue, green or yellow.

Colour has a marked impact on our decisions. Not that red is favoured in all contexts. When investors were given information about a stock on a red background, they were less likely to want to buy it than when the information was set against green.

Being aware of just how integral a whole host of unexpected factors are to decision-making – colour is just one -  you’ll be better equipped to present yourself to your best advantage.


Decision 3: Identifying the idea that’ll make you rich

When a 223-page manuscript of around 90,000 words landed on Barry Cunningham’s desk in 1996, 'the skies didn’t part and lightening didn’t come down or anything' but he thought is was 'really engaging' and decided to offer its unknown female author £2,000 for the rights to publish it.

A dozen of the most prestigious British and American publishing houses had previously turned it down. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter was, they thought, 'too long for kids these days', 'reading by boys was declining', 'kids didn’t want fantasy books any more'.

We all know how wrong all those publishers were.

Just because an idea’s new or different or not along the lines of what’s worked before, it doesn’t mean it won’t work and isn’t worth pursuing. It may be what makes you your millions. But be prepared to fight an uphill battle selling your idea to others, those deciding your fate may well be overly stuck in the past.


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Decision 4: Following your doctor’s advice unquestioningly

Studies show that doctors misdiagnose one time in six. And that of the one in twelve patients who die in hospital because of misdiagnosed ailments half would have survived had the diagnosis been correct.

So when it really matters, do get that second opinion. Get a third. And do be willing to be the difficult patient or carer, the one who comes to the surgery having done your research online with a list of questions to hand.

Do take advantage too of your social networks. Post your weird rash on Facebook, if you think your doctor just gave you a brush-off. Tweet your followers for recommendations on what they do when they get migraines – they might have a really useful tip up their sleeves. But of course use such information with caution, remember that not everyone’s experiences will be the same as yours.



Decision 5: Buying a winter coat

An experiment was carried out in which shoppers were presented with two identical pairs of Nike trainers in two identical but separate rooms. The only difference was that in one of the rooms a floral scent was sprayed.

Those shoppers who’d been exposed to the scent regarded the trainers very differently, with  84 per cent more of them preferring the shoes displayed in the fragrant room even though they were actually the same.

All our senses are highly vulnerable to retailers’ and marketers’ manipulations. So if it’s a high ticket purchase you’re thinking of making, like a new winter coat - can you perhaps try it at home, before you fully commit?  If you can, does it seem less appealing back at yours than it seemed in the shop?

Decision 6: Dashing off an email to your boss after he’s called you out

You might well have been there – Been upset, and annoyed because your boss criticised you in front of your colleagues. But before you dash off an email telling him just how it is you feel. Take a beat, a pause, and think about what your emotional state is.

 Because when we’re in an emotional state – upset, angry, sad, happy, stressed – our decisions can be very distorted. Studies show that we’re more likely to trust a work colleague if we’ve been thinking happy thoughts than sad ones. When we’re stressed we’re more likely to focus on negative thoughts.

It’s not that we should try and stamp out our emotions, it’s that we’re well served if we actively note how it is we are feeling. Along the lines in this case, for example, of 'I’m feeling really upset  because my boss just shouted at me.

The act of simply noting how it is we are feeling serves as an emotional thermostat and helps to regulate our decision-making. Perhaps it’s not such a great idea after all to press send.

Noreena Hertz’s Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World is out now (William Collins). Follow Noreena on Twitter @noreenahertz and check out her website, www.noreena.com.