Go with your gut: Making everyday decisions on instinct is a ‘surefire way to improve mood’, experts say

When it comes to big decisions, trusting your gut is usually the best way to go.

Now, experts have discovered that relying on your instinct really is a good idea, as it results in a bigger boost to our mood.

Researchers from HMU Health and Medical University Potsdam, in Germany, recruited 256 participants for their study.

They were all given information about two different styles of decision-making – analytical and intuitive.

Then, over the course of two weeks, they used an app to report when they were about to make an everyday decision such as what to eat for lunch, making a purchase, what to watch on TV or something to do with friends.

At this point they were told either to make the decision analytically – weighing up all the options – or to make the decision based on their gut instinct.

The participants were also asked to rate their mood immediately before and after making their decision, and shared how easy, pleasing and ‘right’ their choice felt.

Analysis, published in the journal Emotion, revealed that simply making a decision – of either type – improved their mood, but going with their gut led to the biggest boost.

While intuitive decisions didn’t feel any more ‘right’ than analytical ones, they did feel easier, which could explain the increased uptick in mood.

The team also found that the participants felt more satisfied with their gut decisions, and liked them more.

‘This is the first empirical demonstration showing that using one’s gut has beneficial effects in everyday life,’ they wrote.

Previous studies have found that easy and fast mental processing feels good, which could also explain the findings.