How To Make Good Decisions, According To Science. (Going To The Supermarket To Buy A House Is A Good Idea)

Remember the time during our childhood when we desperately wished to grow up? And look at us now, secretly wishing we could become carefree kids again.

Because let’s face it, adult life is all about making decisions and then sticking it out so you can see them through. And while schools taught us all about ‘relevant’ things like trigonometry and the Battle of Panipat, the chapter on how to make good decisions in the first place was pretty much skipped and left to experience.

But guess what? There is, in fact, a science to good, nay, great decision making and it is based on actual research. (and fMRI brain scans, don’t worry we won’t get too technical here.)

And you can take a crash course right here! So here it goes-

1. Contrary to popular opinion, more choices = better decisions.

Surprised? IKR!

You’d think more choices could be hella confusing and delay your decision-making. But evaluating all your choices just helps you pick the best of the lot.

Sometimes, we don’t even know we want something till we come across it. Lay all your choices before you and make a calculated decision. After all, life’s too short for regrets! #YOLO!

E.g. Consider checking out just two properties and making a decision versus going through 30 houses before shortlisting one. 

2. Talking of choices, science says right and relevant information is monumental to make the right decision

While choices are important, the right kind of information is more crucial to arrive at a better-informed decision.

E.g. Details like distance to the nearby market, ATM, school, hospital, railway station, etc. are crucial (and often comes as a deal-breaker later) if not provided/explored at an earlier stage

3. Simple choices in life = use rational brain. Complex choices = include your gut feeling too.

According to science, we need to use our rational brain (and not listen to emotion) while making regular simple decisions in life. E.g. which soap to buy should be totally based on a left-brained rational decision-making process.

While for complex life decisions viz. choosing a life partner, buying a home, you need to consider your gut feeling too.

E.g. Before buying a property, you need to check with neighbors, go to online forums to get a taste of raw emotion shared by people who already stay there or have purchased/avoided a purchase. Something as simple as ‘bad attitude of society members’ can’t be understood without emotion and empathy.

4. Always rely on an expert’s opinion in areas where you’re not an expert.

While you should trust your own rational thinking and gut, there are certain areas which are best left to the experts. That’s what research says. (It’s a no-brainer TBH) 😀

E.g. Obviously you can’t be a home-loan expert, a lawyer, a Vastu specialist, a real-estate guru all combined into one. Hence, it’s always better to seek help in these areas before writing that cheque for the builder. (and regretting forever later)

An easy way to remember these four tenets of better decision-making is by relating it to a supermarket experience.

Supermarkets are designed to aid people make an informed decision. E.g. there are a lot of choices, there are experts who can guide you to the right shelf and so on.

Similarly, MagicBricks is like the friendly (and expert) store manager who guides you through the life-changing maze of property decisions to arrive at a right choice.

Here’s how the ‘property ka supermarket’ MagicBricks can help you make the best property decision-

1. Choices – It has the widest range of property listings (1.5+ million choices)
2. Relevant info – It shows important details such as nearby hospitals, schools, ATMs, railway stations, market etc.
3. Tap into emotion – It has an engaging forum where home buyers discuss and reveal both rational and emotional facts.
4. Take expert help – Talking of experts, MagicBricks have an array of services starting from assistance in home-loans, Vastu, legal, PropWorth calculator etc.

Feel more intelligent already? Cheers to better decisions! 🙂

This article is brought to you in association with MagicBricks