To be or not to be … indecisive: Gender differences, correlations with obsessive–compulsive complaints, and behavioural manifestation

Indecisiveness can pose a threat to normal daily functioning. In addition, it has been associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder. Undergraduate students (N = 135) completed the Indecisiveness Scale (Frost & Shows, 1993) and three other measures. It was found that women are more indecisive than men. Furthermore, indecisiveness correlated positively with several obsessive–compulsive complaints (e.g., checking and rumination), but negatively with life satisfaction. Finally, indecisiveness was associated with the number of do-not-know answers on a scale containing political statements that had to be evaluated by participants. The latter finding suggests that indecisive individuals not only need more time to reach a decision, but that they also actually fail to reach decisions.