To keep the body in good health is a duty...
otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
--Buddha
The Fuel of Good Decision Making
--by Mark Liskey, syndicated from spiritualityhealth.com, Aug 17, 2015
In
2011, Shai Danziger,
PhD, a cognitive neuroscientist at Tel Aviv University School of Management, and
his colleagues published a ground breaking paper in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences that gave new insight into the old adage,
“Justice depends on what the judge had for breakfast.” What Danzigerdid
was to analyze more than 1,100 parole decisions made by eight judges at four
Israeli prisons. He discovered that parole was granted to prisoners about
one-third of the time, but there were extreme fluctuations through the course of
the day. Specifically, if a prisoner was going in front of the parole board
early in the morning or just after a food break, the probability of parole was
65 percent. For prisoners facing the parole board late in the day—or long after
a food break—the probability of parole dropped to just about zero.
An
apples-to-apples comparison revealed that prisoners who committed the same crime
and who had the same sentence had different parole outcomes, depending on when
the case was heard during the day.
Whether
or not a judge should grant parole is a tough decision involving public safety
and personal compassion, and the study is a clear example of making decisions in
the face of what’s called “decision fatigue.” Danziger concluded, “As judges
make repeated rulings, they show an increased tendency to rule in favor of the
status quo.” In other words, tired judges just say no.
Journalist
John Tierney, co-author of Willpower:
Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, writes, “The more choices you
make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and
eventually it looks for shortcuts.” Impulsivity is a shortcut. In a
shop-till-you drop situation where you’re stressed with decision making, you’re
more likely to seek a shortcut by narrowing your choices—i.e., getting the
cheapest or the best quality—and making that impulsive buy. The more judicious
shortcut is to choose the least consequential option. The tired judges granted
less parole to prisoners because they could always grant parole the next
time.
Of
course, the most judicious way to make good decisions is to avoid decision
fatigue. Evolutionary psychologist Douglas Lisle, PhD, director of research for
TrueNorth Health Center, explains that decision fatigue occurs in a specific
area of the brain—during decision making. This area increases in activity and
more glucose is consumed—which leads to a depletion of glucose specifically in
this area. “The ‘power’ in willpower,” explains Lisle, “is actually brain
glucose.” No brain glucose, no willpower. That doesn’t mean your entire brain is
shutting down due to lack of fuel. It’s just a small area of the brain—and
feelings may become more intense as self-control weakens. Like the warning light
on your gas gauge, those feelings are a signal to take a break and get a
snack.
In
another now classic experiment, Todd Heatherton, PhD, a social neuroscientist at
Dartmouth, had dieters look at pictures of food while their brain images were
recorded. Next, they watched a comedy and had to suppress their laughter, an
activity that is mentally draining. Afterward, they were shown pictures of food
and their brains were imaged again, revealing more activity in the reward center
of the brain and less in the impulse control area. In other words, when the
dieters were mentally drained, the food was more appealing and their impulse
control was down. Heatherton then wondered what would happen if the mentally
drained brains got some glucose. To his surprise, all the brain changes were
entirely reversed.
While
it is tempting to grab sugary junk food, a soda or a candy bar when you are
feeling mentally fatigued—that temptation is itself another sign of low fuel.
The trick is to recognize the signal and, as Lisle, says, eat “foods with some
substance—such as complex carbohydrates like a banana or some oatmeal or a bean
burrito—that will be a gentle but steady blood-glucose rise and support your
brain for a long steady ride.”
Plan Ahead for a Day of Tough Decisions
The
more decisions you have to make, the less willpower you’ll have to make them
with. So plan ahead for tough days with frequent breaks and healthy snacks.
Planning meals and snacks into your day can avert the need for an emergency
glucose fix—and subsequent crash.
Keep
in mind that only a tiny part of your brain runs out of glucose during decision
fatigue, so you may not need food. Other research shows a 10-minute walk will
restore your mood and energy and decision making better than eating a candy bar.
So if someone is pushing for an answer, and you feel the surging emotions of low
brain fuel, simply walk away. Ten minutes later, the situation may feel entirely
different.
Pay
attention to the times you may be apt to experience a glucose low, like
mid-morning or mid-afternoon. During these times try to avoid planning things
that require a big decision-making effort.
Remember
to check in and see if you feel mentally fatigued. If so—and you really have to
make a decision—the judicious answer is likely no.
The
above interview originally appeared in Spirituality
& Health magazine and is
reprinted here with permission. S&H was founded in 1998 for people seeking
holistic health in body, mind, and spirit. It aspires to help guide the journey
to self-knowledge, authenticity, and integration. Its articles draw from the
wisdom of many traditions and cultures, with an emphasis on sharing spiritual
practices, and look to science to help provide a context for the spiritual
quest. Read more from Spirituality & Health here.
Be The Change: Take some time
to plan out and prepare some simple, healthy snacks you can keep with you
throughout the day.
