இடைமுகம்
April 24, 2024
After a hectic day at work, have you ever stood in front of a stall in a food court, unable to choose between a sandwich or a Pizza? Suddenly, both options seem equally daunting, and you end up ordering the default “daily special.” This could be due to decision fatigue.
Do you know how many decisions we make each day?
According to the Harvard Business Review, the average adult makes around 33,000 to 35,000 decisions daily, including everything from what we eat to how we express ourselves. Gerald Zaltman, a Harvard professor, claims that a whopping 95% of our cognition happens in the subconscious mind. It’s like our brains are running on autopilot most of the time.
And to break it down further, we’re making approximately 1875 decisions per hour, or about 31.21 decisions every minute. Crazy, right?
“When our self-control wanes, we make poor choices.”
Decision
Brain Energy and Glucose: Neuroscientific research has provided insights into the biological underpinnings of decision fatigue. Some studies suggest that making decisions depletes glucose levels in the brain, impairing cognitive functions.
Functional MRI Studies: Functional MRI (fMRI) studies have shown that regions of the brain associated with self-control and decision-making, such as the prefrontal cortex, show decreased activity when individuals experience decision fatigue.
According to the Harvard Business Review, the average adult makes around 33,000 to 35,000 decisions daily, including everything from what we eat to how we express ourselves. Gerald Zaltman, a Harvard professor, claims that a whopping 95% of our cognition happens in the subconscious mind. It’s like our brains are running on autopilot most of the time.
And to break it down further, we’re making approximately 1875 decisions per hour, or about 31.21 decisions every minute. Crazy, right?
Study Overview – Extraneous factors in judicial decisions
The focus was on parole decisions made by eight experienced judges in Israeli courts over ten months. Study analysed 1,112 parole board hearings
Morning and Post-Break Decisions 🙂
Favourable Ruling: approximately 65% at these times.
Pre-Break or Without break 🙁
The probability of granting parole steadily decreased and likelihood of a favourable ruling dropped to nearly zero.
Decision fatigue resulted in a higher tendency to deny parole, a safer and more conservative default decision.
Restoring mental energy and cognitive resources during breaks allowed judges to return to a more balanced and fair decision-making process.
Impact and Root Cause
Combat Decision Fatigue
·Prioritize Decisions: Focus on making important decisions when your mind is fresh, typically in the morning.
·Breaks and Rest: Taking breaks and ensuring adequate rest to reset cognitive functions is essential.
·Delegation: Encouraging delegating decisions when possible to minimize personal load.
·Routine and Automation: Use tools and Apps for task management, scheduling, and reminders to streamline decision-making.
•I recommend reading James Clear’s book Atomic Habits to cultivate routines and build healthy habits.An app called Atoms helps you track your habits.
Do Not Ignore and Do not self-declare
Recognizing and addressing decision fatigue is more than just a productivity hack.
Safeguarding our mental health: Too often, we ignore the signs until mental strain manifests in physical symptoms, making recovery more challenging and painful for ourselves and those who care about us.
SEEK HELP!!!
