Feeling Grumpy Makes You A Better Decision-Maker

BBC – An Australian psychology expert who has been studying emotions has found being grumpy makes us think more clearly.

In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.

While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking, Professor Joe Forgas told Australian Science Magazine.

The University of New South Wales researcher says a grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain “promotes information processing strategies.”

I’m not sure I’m buying this research. I’m not much of a morning person, so I’m almost always grumpy in the AM. However, I’m also sleepy. I never really feel one way without the other. Usually this leads to decisions like “I’m not going to class today” or “Work can wait another hour.” On second thought, I guess those aren’t bad decisions after all.