How fatigue affects decision making and new habits

Tired people take less risk

Many people know that fatigue is a poor decision-making aid. Especially important decisions.

Overwork can really affect our choices. Studies show that when we are tired, we tend to prefer the tit in the hand over the pie in the sky.

A series of five experiments at the University of Oxford, The Bright Side of Impulse: Depletion Heightens Self-Protective Behavior in the Face of Danger. showed that participants who were fatigued were less likely to engage in risky behavior. They chose their foods carefully, were wary of unprotected sex, and were more concerned about their health.

Therefore, fatigue is not such a bad thing when making decisions about your health or finances. Observe how much money you spend when you shop when you are tired? The chances of making an impulse buy are much lower.

The reverse side of the coin: fatigue, dulling the spirit of adventurism, prevents new acquaintances and obtaining unusual experiences. Overwork forces us to be careful. This can be a problem when traveling or expanding your circle of acquaintances.

Knowing how fatigue affects decision making can help you prepare ahead of time. For example, getting a good night's sleep before important negotiations.

Fatigue brings us back to old habits

Overwork reduces self-control, according to a study published in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Personal and Social Psychology. As a result, we return to the old, often of little use, way of life.

For example, if at one point you decide to monitor your diet and eat only healthy food, then in a state of fatigue, the risk of slipping into chips and fast food is much higher.

But there is good news as well. It all depends on your habits! If you are used to walking before bed, you can easily agree to an evening promenade, even if you are squeezed out like a lemon.

It is easier for a tired brain and body to perform familiar actions than to do something new.

Remember this property of fatigue when you are on the path of transformation and introducing new habits.

Peaks of overwork, when you want to give up everything, are inevitable. But this can be overcome.

For example, you came home from work, you are so tired that you have absolutely no strength to think about what to cook so healthy for dinner. And now the hand is already reaching for a loaf of butter and sweet tea. In this case, you need to have on hand cards with recipes for quick, tasty and healthy dishes. So that you can turn off the brain and just follow the instructions.

It's the same with tasks. When planning, sort them not only by priority, but also by complexity. For example, mark tasks that you can perform automatically, green or in another way, and switch to them when it is still far from the end of the working day, and your strength is already running out.

Conclusion

Overwork has a negative effect on the body. With lack of sleep and excessive exertion, the body ceases to obey the brain. We become clumsy and irritable. Everything is literally falling out of hand, I don't want to do anything.

Fatigue is disorganizing.

But it turns out that it also has pluses. Because we are less inclined to take risks, we can be more careful in our decisions. And knowing that fatigue is pushing us to old habits, we can prepare for manifestations of weakness of character.

However, overwork is still best avoided. Sleep is an effective "cure" for fatigue. It replenishes energy reserves, "reboots" memory and rebuilds muscles. Healthy and adequate sleep provides us with cognitive benefits and improves performance.