An article in today’s Wall St. Journal sheds some interesting light on how decisions are made. According to this article, as they say “doing less is more”. It explains that the best decision-making is not done with simple logic and facts. It requires creativity and intuitive leaps. The article describes the use of brain imaging to show this. It also explains that hard deadlines and piling up of tasks inhibits this sort of thinking – thinking “outside the box” as they say.

Children’s School Work

On the one hand, this has implications for children’s schooling. As a grandfather, I have noticed how even a first grader tends to get homework piled up on top of homework. And I know that for high school kids this can be many times worse. And this is precisely at the ages at which the creative parts of the brain should be stimulated and encouraged to develop. Instead, just the opposite is done.

Socialism

It might seem strange to make the leap from here to the issue of socialism, but consider this: The capitalists make the argument that the reason socialism couldn’t “work” is that it would be less efficient – exactly because people are under more pressure (competition) under capitalism. But this study proves the exact opposite. It shows that if people had more time to just relax and contemplate things, that they would be better able to figure out things and resolve problems better. This is completely aside from the issue of which class rules and in whose interest.