What do you think are the pros and cons of being extremely analytical?

Yes, you end up not deciding on anything, finding fault with everything and doubting everything. You never move on.

On the pro side, you will gain a more in-depth, nuanced understanding of issues and topics.

Sometimes you just have to dive in and do it, whatever “it” is. Sometimes you have to check and recheck every last detail to keep a catastrophe from happening. Part of being analytical is knowing which side of that line to follow. If you over analyze something you are obsessive, if you under analyze you are careless. Appropriate balance between these two is refreshingly not uncommon.

For people around you it might be frustrating if you’re doing too much analysis of every small issue.

If you work for a think tank, than that’s a good way to be. Over analyzing can help you find problems before they happen and possibly help create solutions. Example: Medications and their possible effects from certain ingredients. Or childrens toys and how some children may play with them.
On the flip side. Over analyzing things to death can give you a headache and make in interpret behaviors or problems that don’t exist and would’ve never existed if it wasn’t for you over analyzing. Example: How people may interpet what people say. I can make the same exact statement to my son and daughter and husband. My son, takes what you say at face value. So the meaning of my words don’t change but he misses innuendos as a result. My husband interprets what I say according to how my mood was that day. So he semi analyses. My daughter over analyses everything. So she often misses my point because she misses what was actually said. More often than not, people who over analyse interject their own feelings into it their analysis
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Another problem may be over analysing yourself into a stalemate. Deciding between two different meals to have for dinner has often led me to ordering out. But I guess that can be a plus. This dinner has more protein, and more fat, this dinner doesn’t have as much protein but is less fattening. One may leave me feeling more hungry, one may raise my cholesterol. I’ve done this sometimes and finally just end up with a quick sandwich with very little health value or order out and say to hell with my health because now it’s getting to late to make a quality meal and I can’t eat after 7 pm. LOL.

There is nothing wrong with being analytical. We all are, just to widely varying degrees. Here is the description of the Analytical personality characteristic as defined by The Gallup Organization.

Personally, I seek out people with analytical skills because it is not one of my strengths. When proposing a new idea, they are the ones who can quickly figure out what will work and where the issues are.

The only cons are when their analytical skill goes into overdrive. If they drag their feet by digging too far or they immediately say, “Give it up; it won’t happen.”

con – You miss out on a hell of a lot of fun.
pro – You’re an excellent employee in most fields.

I think you hit on the problem, @NerdyKeith – you tend to overanalyze and make the tiniest differences into big issues, far in excess of their actual impact or importance.

There’s a colloquial phrase for this – paralysis through analysis. One ends up not doing anything at all, because there is too much low level analysis and not enough understanding.