The surprising relationship between indecisiveness and impulsivity

• We find a positive correlation between measures of indecisiveness and impulsivity.
• Certain subtypes of indecisiveness correlate negatively with impulsivity.
• Negative affect during choice may underlie both impulsivity and indecisiveness.
• Excessive assessment prior to choice may underlie non-impulsive indecisiveness.

We explore the relationship between indecisiveness and impulsivity using a variety of individual difference measures for each construct. We observe a positive, rather than negative, correlation between traditional measures of indecisiveness and impulsivity. Further analysis demonstrates that standard measures of indecisiveness are positively correlated specifically with dysfunctional impulsivity, and negatively correlated with functional impulsivity. Moreover, indecisiveness is positively and strongly associated specifically with impulsive urgency and lack of perseverance, but not with impulsive sensation-seeking or a lack of premeditation. Finally, we find that particular forms of indecisiveness, including maximizing due to ‘high standards’ and various ‘perfectionistic’ behaviors, do correlate negatively with standard measures of impulsivity. These findings provide insight into the multi-dimensional nature of both indecisiveness and impulsivity, and suggest divergent underlying mechanisms producing different forms of indecisive and impulsive behavior.