The Psychology of Randomness in Decision Making

Why visible random choices can reduce arguments and make group decisions easier.

Random selection does not make every decision objectively better, but it can make a decision procedure easier to accept. When everyone can see the same process, the group has less room to argue about personal preference or favoritism.

Before you start

Random selection does not make every decision objectively better, but it can make a decision procedure easier to accept. When everyone can see the same process, the group has less room to argue about personal preference or favoritism. Why visible random choices can reduce arguments and make group decisions easier. A useful rule of thumb is to keep instructions short, give everyone a clear turn, and stop or change the activity when the group is no longer enjoying it.

For a random version, prepare the acceptable options in advance and use the TossUp tools to make the selection visible.

A simple approach

Random selection does not make every decision objectively better, but it can make a decision procedure easier to accept. When everyone can see the same process, the group has less room to argue about personal preference or favoritism. Why visible random choices can reduce arguments and make group decisions easier. A useful rule of thumb is to keep instructions short, give everyone a clear turn, and stop or change the activity when the group is no longer enjoying it.

For a random version, prepare the acceptable options in advance and use the TossUp tools to make the selection visible.

Keep the activity moving

Random selection does not make every decision objectively better, but it can make a decision procedure easier to accept. When everyone can see the same process, the group has less room to argue about personal preference or favoritism. Why visible random choices can reduce arguments and make group decisions easier. A useful rule of thumb is to keep instructions short, give everyone a clear turn, and stop or change the activity when the group is no longer enjoying it.

For a random version, prepare the acceptable options in advance and use the TossUp tools to make the selection visible.

Make it work for your group

Random selection does not make every decision objectively better, but it can make a decision procedure easier to accept. When everyone can see the same process, the group has less room to argue about personal preference or favoritism. Why visible random choices can reduce arguments and make group decisions easier. A useful rule of thumb is to keep instructions short, give everyone a clear turn, and stop or change the activity when the group is no longer enjoying it.

For a random version, prepare the acceptable options in advance and use the TossUp tools to make the selection visible.

Frequently asked questions