It’s official – men are more decisive than women

SOME shocking news has emerged — apparantly men are more decisive than than women.
Well, who on earth would have thought it? To be honest, I still can’t decide whether I believe it or not.
According to a study of 2,000 people into the nature of decision making, and the thought processes behind them, men are “twice as likely to make a snap decision than women.”
The research asked men and women to evaluate their decisions in life and found women are much more likely to consider the opinions of friends and take time on their choices, while men adopt a more immediate process.
A quarter of women said their approach was often to spend a long time mulling over the details of a decision before making it — but less than a fifth of men take the same approach.
The study also found that even though women take longer to reach their decisions overall, they are more likely to regret the choice they made further down the line.
So, why is it that men can act on their impulsive thoughts a whole lot quicker, and women tend to make their decisions ‘from the heart?’
Throughout history, women have traditionally been viewed as the fairer, more delicate and more emotional sex.
And despite my hatred of such stereotypical generalisations between men and women, the findings come as no surprise.
Apparantly, this is all to do with the prolaction hormone women have, which contributes to tears and how much people cry.
Psychologist Cliff Arnall, the man famous for ‘calculating’ that Monday is the most depressing day of the year, said: “There are stark differences between how men and women make decisions.
“Women’s significant reliance on others plus a reluctance to make a wrong decision points to a measurable lack of confidence compared to men.”
“Weighing up different outcomes and scenarios may seem like a good strategy but it appears to be accompanied by increasing levels of stress and uncertainty.
“Going round in circles soon becomes counterproductive and leads to decision paralysis and feelings of frustration.”
From a personal point of view, decision-making has always been my weakness. I’ve spent more than a few wasteful hours trying to reach the simplest conclusion.
Whether it’s choosing a pair of shoes or deciding how to colour my hair, I tend to drive not just myself insane by agonising over the slightest details.
Although I tend to trust my gut instinct for those for ‘life-changing’ choices, there are times when I wish I could be able to commit that bit more easily.
According to Cliff Arnall, the heart is based on emotion, the gut on survival — with 95 per cent of the human body’s feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin produced by the gut.
He added: “Heart and gut feelings operate at a much faster and more primitive level than regular thought processes.”
However despite the findings, men showed more indecision than the fairer sex when it came to putting an offer in for a house, talking to someone they find attractive or deciding whether or not to ask a partner to move in.
Interestingly, women were more likely than men to feel they get the smaller decisions wrong in life while men are the gender most likely to feel they get big decisions wrong overall.
But certain decisions come fast — one in five people in relationships knew they wanted to be with their partner within minutes of meeting.
Men know sooner after meeting someone if they want to be in a relationship with that person — 41 per cent make up their minds on the same day compared to less than a third of women.
Psychologist Cliff Arnall offers some remedies for indecision. “Adopt an attitude of boldness. If you’re not feeling it then pretend!
“Talk separately to your three closest friends and get a dispassionate opinion from them but you’ll need to give them permission to tell you what they really think!
“Write down the pros and cons of making the decision. Don’t hold back — being brutally truthful and open at this stage can save much stress later on.”