Indecision: The Liberating Benefits of Not Making Your Mind Up

By Ophelia Deroy and Bahador Bahrami

An original look at how we can enrich our lives by letting go of our urge to act

Indecision is a fact of life. Yet until recently, psychologists have largely ignored the subject. We’ve been sold the idea that decisions are good, whereas indecision is bad – a sign of incompetence, weakness of will, overthinking or confusion.

In INDECISION, two leading psychologists flip this decision mindset on its head. Drawing on their ground-breaking research, Ophelia Deroy and Bahador Bahrami reveal the hidden – often counterintuitive – benefits of deciding nothing rather than something. They show how procrastination can boost your confidence and how being undecided can give you leverage in negotiations. They explain how although having many options gives us the illusory promise of flexibility, we prefer fewer choices when we at heart desire satisfaction. And they let readers in on the ultimate mind hack: flipping a coin.

Filled with surprising takeaways and entertaining anecdotes, INDECISION offers insight on issues ranging from online dating, parenting and healthcare to undecided voters, the gig economy, vaccine hesitancy and human egg freezing. Challenging decades of thinking that equates being decisive with being successful, it is an essential guide for living in our complex times.