In a 2011 study, researchers followed a group of judges deciding whether or not to offer imprisoned individuals a chance at parole. Logically, one might expect things like an imprisoned person’s crime, existing sentence, and current behavior to be the primary considerations. But while those details were duly examined, one variable had a remarkably large impact: the time of day. Imprisoned people who met with the board in the morning were far more likely to receive parole than those whose cases were reviewed in the afternoon, even if their crimes and sentences were practically identical.
在 2011 年的一项研究中, 研究人员跟踪调查了一组法官, 这些法官有权决定 是否准许被监禁者假释。 从逻辑上讲,人们可能会认为 被监禁者的罪行、 现有刑期和当前表现之类的事情 是首要考虑因素。 但尽管那些细节被认真考虑了, 还有一个变量影响显著, 那便是时间。 早上被裁定的被监禁者 与下午的相比 更有可能获得假释, 即使他们的罪行和判决几乎相同。
This finding might seem strange, but the researchers’ explanation was simple: in the afternoon, the judges were likely exhausted. Specifically, they were experiencing decision fatigue. This kind of cognitive exhaustion occurs after a period of extended decision making and it can make people more impulsive and less confident while making choices. The dangers of decision fatigue are clear in high-stakes scenarios like this study, but it can have a serious impact on our day-to-day lives as well. So what kinds of choices lead us to this state, and what can we do to fight fatigue?
这一发现可能看起来很奇怪, 但研究人员的解释很简单: 在下午,法官可能感到疲惫, 具体地说,他们正在经历决策疲劳。 这种认知疲劳通常发生在 长时间的决策过程之后, 它会使人在做选择时 更加冲动、更不自信。 在假释裁决这样的高风险场景中, 决策疲劳的危险显而易见, 但它也可能严重影响 我们的日常生活。 那么,什么样的选择 会导致我们进入这种状态, 我们能做些什么来对抗疲劳呢?
Everything our bodies do— whether physical or mental— uses energy. But while it’s unclear exactly what resources are depleted during mental strain, studies have found many individuals seem to have a daily threshold for making decisions. And once that threshold is met, most people make the conscious choice to “take it easy” and save serious thinking about any new decisions for another day. How quickly you reach this threshold depends on several variables, including the frequency, complexity, and novelty of the decisions you have to make. For example, choosing what to eat for breakfast isn't very taxing. Not only is this decision limited by what's available, it's also a choice you expect to make once a day with fairly low stakes. And even when you’re not quite sure what to eat, the time between this minor decision and the next one should give you ample room to recover whatever cognitive energy you expend.
我们身体的一切行为, 无论身体上还是精神上,都消耗能量。 但在心理紧张的情况下, 究竟耗尽了哪些资源尚不清楚。 研究表明许多人似乎在做决定方面 有每日的阈值。 一旦达到了阈值, 大多数人会有意选择“放轻松”, 任何严肃思考和决策制定 都会留到第二天。 你达到这个阈值的速度 取决于几个变量, 包括决策的频率、复杂性和新颖性。 例如,选择早餐吃什么不太伤脑筋。 不仅因为这个决定的可选项有限, 还因为这个选择风险较低, 你每天都要做一次。 即使有时候你不太确定要吃什么, 这个小决定和下一个决定之间的时间 也足够你恢复消耗掉的认知能量。
But let’s imagine something much trickier. For example, your car suddenly breaks down and you need to replace it right away. This is an unexpected, complicated decision with serious consequences. In this case, there are countless options to choose from, and you won't find them all in one place. To make the optimal choice, you’ll need to do hours of thoughtful research to consider the various pros and cons. And since this is a decision you don’t often make, you’ll also have to identify what considerations are most important. The time pressure can add additional stress both during the decision-making process and afterward, as you expend more energy wondering if you would have made a different decision with more time.
但是,让我们想象一些 更加棘手的情况。 例如,你的汽车突然发生故障, 你需要立刻替换它。 这是一个意料之外的、复杂的决定, 并会带来严重的后果。 在这种情况下, 有无数个选项可供选择, 而且它们也不在同一个地方。 为了做出最佳选择, 你需要进行数小时的深思 考虑各种优缺点。 而且,由于这不是你经常做的决定, 你还必须确定哪些因素最重要。 无论决策中还是决策后, 时间压力也会带来额外的负担。 因为你会花更多的精力思考, 如果你拥有更多的时间, 是否会做出不同的决定
After just a single decision of this magnitude, most people would have already reached their decision-making threshold. But in professions where individuals need to make multiple high-stakes decisions every day, decision fatigue can be much more dangerous. Judges, like those in the 2011 study, often encounter difficult decisions back-to-back, with no time to recover. Many researchers are especially concerned about decision fatigue in medicine. Doctors often work long shifts full of life-or-death decisions, and some studies have found that medical workers are much more likely to make critical mistakes when working extended shifts.
做了一个这么重大的决策之后, 大多数人就已经达到了决策阈值。 但是,在每天都需要做出 多个高风险决定的行业中, 决策疲劳可能会更加危险。 法官们,就像 2011 年 那项研究中的一样, 经常连续遇到艰难的决定, 并且没有时间恢复。 许多研究人员特别 担心医疗中的决策疲劳。 医生们经常长时间工作, 且工作中的决策都生死攸关, 一些研究发现,医务工作者 在长时间轮班工作时 更容易犯严重错误。
Addressing these issues requires institutional changes, but there are much more direct ways most of us can avoid fatigue in our daily lives. One simple strategy is to make fewer daily decisions, tackling your to-do list over multiple days, or even removing some rote decisions from your day altogether. It’s also typically less draining to offer advice on a hard decision than it is to make that choice yourself. So it can be helpful to imagine your decisions as someone else’s before considering how the consequences impact you specifically. Finally, it's essential to remember that not every choice is equally important, and learning how to relax about the small stuff can help you save energy for the decisions that truly matter.
解决这些问题需要制度变革, 但是我们大多数人 可以采用更直接的方法 来避免日常生活中的决策疲劳。 一个简单的策略是减少每天的决策, 分多天处理待办事项, 甚至把一些机械化的决定 从你的一天里完全删除。 给一个艰难的决定提供建议 通常也比自己做出选择更省力。 因此,在考虑决策的后果 对你的具体影响之前 把你的决定想象成别人的 可能会有所帮助。 最后,必须记住, 并非每个选择都同样重要, 学习如何轻松对待小事 能帮你为真正重要的决策节省精力。