How A Tiny Bit Of Procrastination Can Help You Make Better Decisions

Forbes:

Waiting. We’ve all done it, and pretty much all of us hate it. Can science help us do it better?

Sadly, when it comes to waiting in line at Disney Land, McDonalds, or the DMV, you’re at the mercy of the machine. All you can really do is think of sunny, sandy beaches and steer clear of anothing potentially antagonizing.

But when it comes to another ubiquitous form of waiting, anticipating uncertain news or outcomes, Kate Sweeny has you covered. Waiting on information regarding your health, relationships, professional prospects, or academic outcomes can be torturous. Sweeny wants to alleviate the agony.

An assistant professor of psychology at the University of California-Riverside, Sweeny has extensively explored the psychology of waiting, with a specific goal of minimizing any associated stress and anxiety. In 2012, she developed a model of “uncertainty navigation” to depict the process people go through during difficult waiting periods and to help them healthily soldier through it. Her strategy can be broken down to three broad categories: mitigating consequences, reappraising the outcome, and regulating emotions.

Read the whole story: Forbes