Can this be an impediment to settling an otherwise straight-forward matter in mediation? The turns that mediations take are often surprising. Is Decision Quicksand lurking in some of them?

another group of researchers found that when a big decision that “ought” to be tough proves more straightforward than expected, people will deliberately find ways to complicate it, just to feel like they put in the effort.

Source: This column will change your life: Decision Quicksand | Life and style | The Guardian

The article discusses studied that measure relationships between a situation’s complexity and its perceived importance: if it’s hard, but must be important; and if it’s important, but must be hard, right? We are bombarded by decisions all day every day, small and large. Can we get bogged down in quicksand? Decision quicksand?

Decision Quicksand might be lurking for some situations in the process of mediation, but often as not there is an unexpected breakthrough in what had been a complicated situation. We sometimes see that “light bulb” or “click” event and suddenly “things” just fit better or maybe it’s an attitude change — but now it works. We hope that when the breakthrough to a settlement begins that the participant won’t be bogged in Decision Quicksand.

Mediation Makes the Difference(tm) the quicksand can turn into smooth waters.