Research suggests that quitting is probably the right thing to do

A recently published study asked people to make tough life choices by flipping a coin.

Are you wondering whether you should quit your job or not?

Are you trying to decide if you should give up smoking or not?

Are wondering whether or not you should pop the question?

Well, research suggests, that if these are the kinds of questions that you are mulling over in your mind - a choice between action or inaction - then you should choose the change rather than the status quo.

A new paper in The Review of Economic Studies, published by Oxford University Press, finds that people who use a coin toss to decide on an important change are more likely to follow through with that decision, are more satisfied with that decision, and report a higher overall happiness after a six month period.
The two-month survey found that participants favoured the status quo, making a change less frequently than they predicted they would before the coin toss. At the six-month survey, this bias toward the status quo was gone. Furthermore, those who were instructed by the coin toss to switch their current position were more likely to actually make the change, reported that they were substantially happier, and said that they were more likely to make the same decision if they were to choose again.

So according to this survey at least - and following on from our previous article, 'if you come to a fork in the road, take it.'

If you are consciously asking the question whether or not to carry on with something, or to get rid of it, it probably means that deep down you intuitively know that a change is needed.

Trust your gut and make the change. The status quo is history, moving on from where you are will always take you towards the future.