Researchers find evidence that “trust your gut” might be just the thing.
She’s beautiful, smart, talented, and funny, but something doesn’t feel quite right. A recent Florida State University study by James McNulty suggests you’re better off listening to that gut feeling than the evidence in front of you. The Washington Post’s Meeri Kim explains:
McNulty, who primarily conducts research on romantic relationships, showed a newlywed the photo of his or her spouse for just a third of a second, followed by a word that was positive or negative: “delightful” or “disgusting,” for instance. The newlywed, as fast as possible, had to push a button indicating the word that was good or bad.
The notion here is that such a brief exposure doesn’t allow the subject to filter his or her response, and thus the “gut” answer is revealed. Apparently after the honeymoon phase was over, the study’s subjects fell in line more with their gut responses than their logical ones; in fact, 12 participating couples divorced withing four years.
For more you can read the full article here.
photo Shelley Panzarella / Flickr