Do you trust your instincts?

pharmaton

Do you get gut feelings and go with them or spend a lot of time analyzing things before you make a move?

I know it's going to be more appropriate to say it's better to think things through and consider all possible outcomes (and rightly so) but sometimes in the heat of the moment, do you get inspired and just go with the flow and if so has it ever proved successful?

(example 1: I was standing in line in a shop today when I got the urge to buy a scratch card while waiting, so I did and won 25 yoyos. I never buy scratch cards.

example 2: Yesterday I was in the supermarket trying to shop but I was wandering around in circles with an empty basket because I couldn't figure out what the hell I needed so just decided to give up and go, I turned on my heels to leave when a giant sign fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor about a foot in front of me. A teensy bit sorry I decided to turn and walk away as I'd say it would have been a nice paycheck had it hit me)

I'm sure there are other things like when meeting people for the first time or looking for the right place to live, even when seeking work, do you ever let your heart (gut) guide you or do you just apply the force of reason when making all your decisions? Maybe a little of both?


(My gut is telling me this thread will die a quick and painless death with the argument for confirmation bias thrown in for good measure)

Quality

But aren't our lives mapped out for us. You were always destined to win that 25yoyo.

And to leave that shop with your head in one piece!

Vito Corleone

I tend to over-think things and then when the time comes I forget what I had planned and end up doing something completely different.

Lando Griffin

You could sell those yoyos at €2 a pop.
Its called capitalism.

Tigger

My instincts tell me those were coincidences

Karl Stein

Happenstance my good man. Freshly chopped happenstance with generous dollop of creamy confirmation bias Sir.

pharmaton

Vito Corleone wrote: »

I tend to over-think things and then when the time comes I forget what I had planned and end up doing something completely different.

I tend to do this too, I will say though that I'm usually spaced out when those kind of things happen probably because I've spent so much time thinking about other things that I'm completely distracted from my actual objective. It's like wandering around hypnotised. Mostly happens when I'm over tired too.

hairyprincess

I was standing in a queue in a shop one day waiting to be served, there was one person in front of me. Something told me to take a step back, but i didn't. As the guy turned to walk away, he turned right on top of me; I quickly stepped back with my left foot going under the shelf. As I stepped away from the shelf I ripped by brand new boots that I had just bought two days before

So since then I try to listen to that little voice in my head. The others not so much :pac:

pharmaton

There's a hidden message in my first post, highlight it and read in awe :pac:

Karl Stein

Vito Corleone wrote: »

I tend to over-think things and then when the time comes I forget what I had planned and end up doing something completely different.

Horses do that too. Horses will spend ages planning out their whole day in intricate detail and then, being horses, completely disregard their plans and do random stuff all day.





Paraphrased from Douglas Adams' 'Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'.

humbert

I was going to post something witty about wandering over to the How to Spot an Idiot thread with a condescending remark about confirmation bias but my gut told me to have a glance down the thread and lo and behold I see you cunningly anticipated it. Now I'm conflicted.

pharmaton

humbert wrote: »

I was going to post something witty about wandering over to the How to Spot an Idiot thread with a condescending remark about confirmation bias but my gut told me to have a glance down the thread and lo and behold I see you cunningly anticipated it. Now I'm conflicted.

I was actually watching that thread and waited with anticipation.

Jester252

If you don't trust your instincts how do you know not to trust them?

Call Me Jimmy

Quality wrote: »

But aren't our lives mapped out for us.

My friend had what I thought was an interesting insight on destiny: mental fast-forward a billion or so years and your life is going to have followed its single path, there's no real control over it, it'll just be like 'then this happened, then you did this, then this'.

It ties in with my idea that no decision is actually made originating from 'you'.

Lapin

I never trust anything that stinks.