Showing posts with label coin toss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coin toss. Show all posts

Monday, May 21, 2012

Thank Goodness It's Monday #357

MAKE DECISION MAKING
AS EASY AS
“HEADS OR TAILS”

The coin toss … heads or tails … has, as we know, inherently, only two possible outcomes which are -- given a true, balanced, unbiased coin –

Equal. So “Call it!” is a generally neutral and equitable way to choose between two alternatives; a simple and impartial way of settling a dispute or deciding between two (or more, if you plan correctly) options. 

In a theoretically perfect situation, the old “heads you win/tails you lose” flip provides even odds to either choice or side. So it’s used in all manner of decision-making.

Even the coin toss has a video moment
 in John Madden Football
And even when all things are not equal -- for example, where determining who gets a perceived advantage or where other decision-making approaches might lead to an injurious struggle -- an unprejudiced coin flip is used to resolve disputes with a minimum of effort and to sidestep an otherwise difficult situation.


The historical origin of coin flipping is rooted in the interpretation of a chance outcome as the expression of Divine Will.

Is it? (Divine Will, that is.)

Not quite. (Or, at least, we can say with great certainty, not usually.)

But you can use a coin flip to perform a psychological experiment on yourself, and the result of that experiment could help you choose.

In fact, it’s a technique that’s attributed to no less a psychological authority than Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud.

(Full disclosure: I’m a bit skeptical about the attribution. I found numerous Freud references but no Sigmund-at-the-source documentation. But I’m going with it anyway.)  

How does it work? Well, once you’re down to just a couple of can’t-seem-to-decide- between-them choices, grab a coin. (Or click through below to a Coin Flipper form that allows you to flip virtual coins, the outcomes randomized by some kind of algorithmic, computer-connected, beyond-my-understanding relationship to atmospheric noise.)

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Designate one choice “Heads” … 
the other choice will be other “Tails” …
and now–


The outcome? Not important.

Not important?

WTF? (What The Freud? Or … What The Flip?)

If we’re deferring our decision to the coin, how can the coin-toss outcome NOT be important?

The point of the Freudian coin toss: It’s NOT to actually determine the decision, but to force you to clarify your feelings.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Got your coin-toss answer? Now check your “gut.”
Siggie sez: Your gut reaction to that flippin’ outcome is what’s important. Like this:

Sigmund Freud
in the iconic 
  1921 Max Halberstadt
picture
         You chose “Heads” and “Heads” turn up.
                                    Alright!
     You make a spontaneous involuntary fist pump and your inner voice cheers,“Yessss!”

                 Or …

         You chose “Heads” and “Tails” turn up.
                                    Arrgh!
   Your stomach flips, your head droops, you get a sinking feeling and the idea --
                 “Maybe two out of three …”
-- flashes through your brain.

Congratulations either way: That unambiguous insight helps you come to the decision that’s right for you.

In a nutshell: Sometimes giving yourself a point to focus on brings out what you subconsciously wanted to do anyway. If you assign the decisions to the coin flip, you'll often end up making the decision you wanted to despite what the coin says.

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), it’s claimed, explained…

"I did not say you should follow blindly what the coin tells you. What I want you to do is to note what the coin indicates. Then look into your own reactions.
Ask yourself: Am I pleased? Am I disappointed? That will help you to recognize how you really feel about the matter, deep down inside. With that as a basis, you’ll then be ready to make up your mind and come to the right decision.”

Of course, if you have some reservations about whether this strategy is or isn’t right for you, I say --

Go Ahead And Try It. Hey! It’s a coin toss …

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com


P.S. In the spirit of discovering how you feel about decision alternatives via a coin toss, there's no doubt that Sigmund Freud did say, in a letter to Wilhelm Fliess dated October 15, 1897: “Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”