#66 Flip your own script

Flip Your Own Script

Have you ever struggled with a big decision – like whether to split with your partner or change jobs – and found you couldn’t make up your mind? 

Innovative research led by Steven Levitt, prominent economist and Freakonomics co-author, revealed a surprising rule of thumb in these situations. 

Levitt conducted a real-world study in which Freakonomics podcast listeners and Reddit readers were invited to join an online experiment.  Each participant was asked what decision they were wrestling with, and then they were asked questions to help them decide.  If they remained uncertain, they were instructed to flip a virtual coin:

·       Heads:  they were told to make the change.

• Tails:  they were told to stick with the status quo.

Over 20,000 people flipped the coin, and then were surveyed two and six months later. 

What did Levitt find?  For important decisions, those who made the change were substantially happier than those who didn’t.