Humans make 35,000 decisions in a day? Think about decision fatigue.

【Does the “trivial choice” make your mind tired? Best way to prevent decision stress!】
https://nazology.net/archives/124886

・Even unimportant, minor decisions have been shown to increase mental stress and decrease cognitive function throughout the day

・In one study, 30% of people purchased jam in the 6 jam conditions, compared to only 3% in the 24 jam conditions

・The researcher noted that “the abundance of choices overwhelms people and makes it difficult for them to compare and make a decision.”（The more choices you have, the less likely you are to make a decision.）

・Even if you go into a specialty store to buy coffee beans, if you don’t have the knowledge, you will leave without buying.

・Researchers noted that “decision making is impaired when there is a lack of knowledge to properly evaluate the options in front of you.”（Lack of knowledge blunts decisions.）

・There are two types of ways we make decisions

・“Maximization” = decision-making that tries to find the best option by synthesizing all aspects

・“Satisfication” = decision-making that occurs when a certain range of acceptable alternatives are found.

・Which of the two tendencies is more likely is known to be closely related to each person’s personality.

・The research team found a “negative relationship” between maximization and life satisfaction. That is, people who tended to make decisions based on maximization were more perfectionistic and regretted their decisions more frequently than those who tended to make decisions based on satisfaction.

・One reason for this is that people with strong maximizing tendencies always wonder what they should have done then or how they could have made a better decision.

・The best way for anyone, regardless of personality, to reduce stress at the time of minor choices. That is “habituation.

・For example, set rules in advance for daily activities, such as fixing the clothes you will wear for each day of the week, or always having bread and coffee for breakfast. This way, you can cut down the time you spend worrying about trivial choices and avoid wasting your mind.

・According to the researchers, “Humans use two different mechanisms of information processing, System 1 and System 2.

System 1 is “fast thinking” that is automatic, intuitive, and unconscious and requires little effort of thought（Habituation also belongs to System 1.）

System 2 is “slow thinking” that exercises deliberation with a sense of purpose

System 2 is used when a problem is encountered that cannot be handled by System 1, which is always working automatically and requires a great deal of effort（Conscious choices, decisions）

・Decision science researchers state that if we can make it a habit to deal with trivial decisions as much as possible in a system 1, we will be able to fully exercise our creativity in important situations.

These are the quotes from the article

Think about decision fatigue.

According to a Cambridge University study, we make up to 35,000 decisions in a day.（What do you want to eat? Where to sit? What to watch? And the list goes on and on.）

Just looking at this 35,000 number, you might get decision fatigue.

To briefly summarize the above article,

To avoid decision fatigue, he says that we should reduce the burden on our brains by making it a routine (habit), etc., and use that amount to make decisions in important situations.

You certainly have a point.

But it is also true that the brain has a tendency to slack off due to routine.

If you are in a routine all the time, you will keep getting the same stimuli and your brain will deteriorate.

It is said that just daring to go home by a different road than usual activates the brain, you know.

So, to summarize in my own way,

If you’re tired of making decisions, make it routine and reduce your burden.

If you’re not feeling decision fatigue, don’t worry about it (keep moving and activating your brain as you go).

It goes like this.^^

Also, I thought,

You mentioned that there are two types of decision making: maximizing and satisfying (I can sort of see why people who make decisions based on satisfying are happier).

I believe that if one has one’s own criteria and values for making decisions, one can make decisions without hesitation, and thus decision fatigue will not occur.

For example, when deciding what to eat for lunch, those with values that prioritize time should eat the same thing every day, while those with values that prioritize taste, etc. over time should take some time and stick to the food for lunch.

If you have your own axis, decision fatigue will not occur,

If you don’t have your own axis and your standards change from time to time, you will probably experience decision fatigue.

（Of course, if it’s someone else’s axis, it’s a big deal.）

That’s what I thought when I read the above article.

Well, this is just my own way of looking at it.

but、

I think it is important not to take information for granted, but to absorb it in one’s own way into oneself.

What did you think?

See you then,

The article above uses the example of Jobs wearing the same clothes every day, but you would have to go that far to experience decision fatigue!