Would you rather treat yourself to a restaurant today or save for a vacation six months from now? The answer to this question will depend on your condition. tired, according to neuroscience researchers from the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (Paris). According to them, fatigue would push us to choose immediate rewards rather than long-term ones. They publish their study in the journal PNAS.
No more impulsive choices when you’re tired
To reach this conclusion, the researchers conducted experiments on 50 volunteers, an average of 24 years old and divided into three groups: the first had to solve complex exercises for six hours, the second to simple exercises and the third to play games. video or read articles. Scientists regularly asked all participants whether they preferred to receive a small amount of money immediately or a larger amount later. As a result, participants who perform long, complex work are more inclined to make impulsive choices and decide to receive a small amount of money without delay.
Decreased activity in a region of the brain involved in decision making
At the same time, the researchers carried out MRIbrain of volunteers at the start, middle and end of the day. These examinations confirmed that the impulsivity of choice was linked to a decrease in activity in a region of the brain, called the prefrontal lateral cortex, and involved in performing complex cognitive exercises and in monetary choices. “Our results demonstrate a concept of focused neural fatigue that could naturally be induced by real-life situations and have important repercussions on economic decisions.“note the researchers in their publication. If several hours of intense work influence our financial choices, it may be better for our wallets to avoid to take decisionsimportant financials after a hard day’s work.
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