The strength and resilience of intuitive attitudes

When people make choices, they can consult their intuition and ask “How do I feel about these options?” rather than “What do I know about these options?” The latter is often touted as the soundest path to good decisions, but not only does intuition ease the difficulty of choosing on the decision maker, it also has been shown to improve choice accuracy and satisfaction in certain situations. Thus, while intuition can enhance decision making, little is known as to what precedes these outcomes.

My research remedies this gap in knowledge by examining the attitudes that result from intuitive decision making. When people make choices, they emerge from the decision with a positive attitude toward the option that they have chosen. However, might the manner in which the choice is made impact the degree of that attitude strength? I have found that attitudes toward options chosen intuitively prove more resiliently strong compared to relying upon a more deliberative approach.

These findings hope to facilitate the development of interventions and policies aimed at improving everyday decisions. For instance, by cultivating an intuitive approach when selecting an exercise regimen, people should be more confident that they have chosen the best fitness program and should also prove less likely to skip a day at the gym, improving their overall health and wellbeing. Ultimately, my research will bridge the gap between the demands of complicated everyday decisions and an individual’s ability to make the best of his/her choices.