Marinating - not so good

Funny how shit come together sometimes [ya dig]
One moment you frequent the booty clubs &
the next four years you & somebody's daughter
raisin' y'all own young'n now that's a beautiful thang
that's if you're on top of your game
and man enough to handle real life situations [that is]
Can't gamble feeding baby on that dope money
might not always be sufficient but the
United Parcel Service & the people at the Post Office
didn't call you back because you had cloudy piss
So now you back in the trap, just that, trapped
Go on and marinate on that for a minute

-- from "Spottieottiedopaliscious" by OutKast

I heard about this earlier today on NPR (musta ran yesterday) and read about it in the Guardian today. According to a study, deliberating too much on a decision can lead to poor decision making. (Read about it here) Eh? What is this? The three weeks it took me to make a decision about which mobile phone to purchase was all pointless?

Of course that is not what it means. I like to think of myself as a thoughtful deliberator and chooser, weighing all the options before making the decision. But half the time, I feel overwhelmed with all the choice and just end up randomly choosing something and hoping to God that it works out. (In the case of the mobile phone, it didn't. I have a Sony Ericsson that is not compatible with my Mac. So no music downloads for me, the whole reason I wanted the damned phone.) I find I have a hard time making decisions at a critical time. I just thought that this was some sort of defect about my character. Like my brain was malfuctioning because I couldn't handle all the variables at one time. I mean, real people could make split second decisions, why couldn't I? Apparently, says this study, the brain can only focus on a limited number of things at one time. So my brain is fine. At least when it comes to this particular point.

I think the effect this finding will have on my relationship will be tremendous. I've related to you about my terrible time making decisions. OK, take that, multiply it by 50 and you have my husband. This just will reinforce his waffling. We will never see a film or have a meal out again! Great, this study says that I'm normal. But the Boy is as well? How can two such conflicting things be true?

I, for one, will never stop reflecting on my decisions. One, I don't think that is really what the study says people should do, though that is how the media will probably portray the findings. Really, it's supporting the old addage to "Get some sleep on it." Second, I don't think some people, like me, will ever stop being worriers. Many worriers feel a lack of control over their situation and deeply deliberating, in order to 'make a good decision', can make them feel more at ease. Even if they're wrong. It could be less about the decision making and more about the coping mechanisms a person uses to get through difficult situations and decisions. Or I could be talking bollocks. Can't decide.