After a long day at the workplace, you can feel exhausted and need TV and takeout. However, you've been seated all day. Why then do you feel just as worn out as your buddies who work in hard labor?
The closer home time gets, the more difficult it feels to complete your list of priorities. Even worse is running into a coworker who "just needs a quick minute" as you are leaving.
Even while it may seem evident that making impulsive decisions after a long day is more likely, many people nonetheless push through.
An accumulation of a potentially hazardous neurotransmitter called glutamate has been linked to high-demand occupations that need intense, persistent concentration, according to a recent study that scanned people's brains during the course of their workday.
Large amounts of glutamate, which is often used to transfer messages from nerve cells, change how well the lateral prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in planning and decision-making, functions (lPFC).
Science has repeatedly demonstrated that mental weariness has genuine consequences. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a judge's level of weariness might influence their decision-making in court.
For instance, judges are more inclined to refuse parole following a lengthy court day (considered the safer option). According to studies, doctors are more inclined to write needless antibiotic prescriptions after a taxing clinical session.
The new research from the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) examined whether cognitive processes including concentration, memory, multitasking, and problem-solving can wear down the lPFC, affecting our choices when we check items off our list.
Optional Cost
The brain serves as the body's command center and controls the neurological system, motor function, breathing, and circulation. These tasks are coordinated by the brain at a great energy cost.
To release energy, nerve cells break down nutrients (metabolism). However, this process produces metabolites, which are molecules that are byproducts. One sort of metabolite is glutamate. In your sleep, the brain eliminates this hazardous waste substance.
The goal of the Paris study's authors was to determine whether prolonged cognitive demands deplete the brain's nutritional stores. They also investigated whether the lPFC accumulates harmful chemicals at a higher rate than other regions of the brain under conditions of high focus demand.
The primary visual cortex, which receives and processes visual information, was compared by the authors to the lPFC in this instance.
The authors split their 40 volunteers into two groups to test their theory. For six and a half hours, both groups worked in front of computers in an office. One group was required to complete challenging tasks that required steady focus and working memory.
For instance, participants had to categorize letters into vowels and consonants or, depending on the letter's color, upper or lowercase, as they appeared on a computer screen every 1.6 seconds. The second group carried out comparable but substantially easier tasks. Both groups were able to achieve an average response accuracy of 80%.
The researchers scanned the subjects' brains using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and measured the concentrations of metabolites. The authors took readings at the beginning, middle, and conclusion of the day.
Only in the group that was under heavy demands did they discover signs of weariness, such as an increase in glutamate levels. Only the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) and not the primary visual cortex showed a buildup of hazardous substances.
The two groups then had decision tests following the high and low-demand cognitive activities. This includes deciding whether to put up physical effort (ride a bike at various intensities), mental effort (complete harder or easier versions of the cognitive control tasks), and patience (how long they were willing to wait to receive a larger reward).
The prizes were worth between €0.10 and €50 (about $10 to $50 USD). Receiving the award could take up to a year or could be done via bank transfer right away following the experiment.
Reevaluating The Working Day
The high-demand group, which had a higher concentration of metabolites in the lPFC, favored less strenuous options, the investigators discovered. These individuals felt this section of the experiment to be less difficult since their pupils were less dilated (dilated pupils reflect arousal), and they made decisions faster.
Thus, whether the working day is organized in an optimum way is another issue raised by the Paris study.
The study's findings suggest that we should break up high-demand cognitive control tasks that call for working memory and continuous attention and account for the fact that performance degrades over time. Considering these findings, some professions may require significantly different structuring.
Air traffic controllers only control aircraft for up to two hours of their shift before taking a break for 30 minutes. But regular, required breaks would also be beneficial for bus drivers, doctors, and pilots.
Speaking, hearing, and planning are just a few of the various functions that activate distinct parts of our brains. Therefore, the results of the Paris study cannot fully account for all of our choices.
A 2006 study from the United States revealed that new information might be digested more effectively when one is hungry, taking into account the interactions throughout the entire body. However, hunger makes it more difficult to remember new information. The ability to establish neuron circuits for long-term memory storage indicates satiety.
A state of satiety may be preferable for decisions involving a third party, such as a judge rendering a verdict on a defendant, whereas tasks requiring fine motor skills, such as surgery, may be hindered. Because we no longer need to look for food, our self-interest in surviving is lowered after a meal.
This enables us to evaluate our environment more accurately. Complex fine motor skills aren't at their peak during satiety since the body needs to relax to process food at this time.
The next time you're faced with a tough choice after a hard day, be aware that you'll be tempted to take on simple activities that will only have a temporary benefit.
Ideally, you should give it some thought while you sleep.
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