NoobScience

Seed magazine has a short but interesting interview with Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, a book that’s on my list of to-reads. This quote confirms my experience that sleeping on a problem is very helpful.

Seed: Should hugely consequential decisions always be rationally deliberated?
JL: No. Research suggests that it’s complex decisions, the ones that involve lots of information, that benefit the most from unconscious emotional processing. The conscious brain can only handle a very limited amount of information at one time - seven digits, plus or minus two. Unconsciously, however, you can process tons of information. It’s these complex decisions - like choosing a car, an apartment, or a leather couch - that often require the rational brain to turn off to some degree.