Making too many decisions in one day can have toll on well being, say experts

From the point they wake up, people are bombarded with choices to make- what food to eat, planning commute, making decisions at work, how to manage finances, which products to choose for health, which movies to watch at night and the list is endless.

All the decisions a person makes during the day differs in complexity and impact on one’s life. While some are easy on the mind, others require more cognitive resources like attention, memory and analytical thinking.

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found the more decisions a person makes during the day, they are more likely to lose will power, experience fatigue and stress.

Experts are now calling this mental phenomenon ‘decision fatigue’.

What is decision fatigue?

As per a study published in the Frontiers, an adult makes approximately 35,000 decisions a day, both person and at an organisation level. 

Though the data pool was limited to Americans, the same can be applied to other cultures.

To put it simply, decision fatigue is the mental and physical exhaustion one experiences after making too many decisions in a day.

People who are more likely to experience this are : those who make numerous quick decisions, for instance, surgeons, those whose decisions have more impact on other people’s life, those who are in midst of a difficult life decision like the pandemic and those who may have perfectionist tendencies, said the Cleveland Clinic.

Speaking to DH, Dr. Rahul Chandhok, a lead psychiatrist at Artemis Hospitals (NCR) said: “Decision fatigue has become a silent drain on the mind of those making important or frequent decisions, including doctors, managers, business owners, teachers, and even parents because they are always solving problems and making plans.”

As per a study, decision making can become more challenging when one has to select the best option among multiple alternatives.

This becomes particularly common in high risk domains like healthcare where during clinical diagnosis, decisions are often made under pressure, increasing likelihood of systematic errors.

An expert speaking to the American Medical Association said that a person experiencing decision fatigue often feels a brain fog and other physical symptoms of tiredness.

Among the four common symptoms of decision fatigue are:

• Procrastination- one can be seen sitting with the decision for extended periods of time.

• Impulsivity- making quick decisions without much evidence.

• Avoidance- putting off the decision for later.

• Indecision- doing back and forth between alternatives.

Lack of rest can also aggravate decision fatigue, said experts.

“If you don't get enough sleep, are stressed, and have a bad routine, things can get worse,” said Dr. Chandhok. 

Making decisions for a prolonged period of time can deplete the cognitive resources, including perception, understanding and predictive abilities, experts have said.