Decision Fatigue: How the Amount of Decisions We Make Affects the Quality of Our Decision-Making

- Beckie Mossor, BIS, RVT

In a society of overwhelming choices, the concept of decision fatigue resonates with many.

While one may not give much thought to how many decisions they make in a day, it’s easy to imagine that the number is in the thousands. A study by Cornell University found that the average individual makes 226.7 decisions a day related to food alone.

While there is a multitude of factors that go into the actual number of decisions a person makes in a day, it is estimated that the average adult makes 35,000 decisions a day. As this field of study emerges, psychologists and scientists studying decision fatigue are finding correlations between the number of decisions made and the quality of those decisions.

Understanding the individual's limited stamina for quality decision-making can help one create daily habits designed to reduce the number of decisions made, increasing the resources available for decision-making. Simple awareness changes can help identify areas of unnecessary decision-making energy and help create patterns that conserve decision-making energy and avoid decision regret.

Defining Decision Fatigue

Psychology recognizes decision fatigue (DF) as a pattern of an individual’s decisions deteriorating in quality after a long session of decision-making.

This is caused by exhausted cognitive resources leading to decreased quality of decisions, self-control and task orientation. This state of fatigue is associated with decreased self-control as well as a reduced capacity and willingness to perform.

Increasingly, both psychologists and neuroscientists are studying the effects of decision-making on the brain and the body by examining the quality of fine-motor skills, mathematical problem-solving and even food choices after periods of mental fatigue. Their studies form baseline measurements for the effects of depleted mental stamina.

Cause of Decision Fatigue

By definition, DF is caused by the depletion of mental stamina due to increased or prolonged mental fatigue. In other words, depletion takes place when there are too many decisions in too short of a time. That said, DF can affect individuals differently, and there are other factors to consider (sleep, nutrition, stress, etc.) in determining mental stamina.

How much a decision contributes to fatigue is not clearly understood at this time, but there is evidence that larger or more important decisions take the greatest toll on mental fatigue. Therefore, the “cost” (monetary, emotional or otherwise) may influence the amount of fatigue imposed on the brain.

A more direct correlation exists between the number of decisions in a period. For example, when buying a car, individuals were more likely to select default vehicle options when choosing them at the end of the car buying process than at the beginning, showing less engagement and increased reliance on decision shortcuts.

For many individuals, decisions begin as early as the alarm clock does with the decision to hit snooze or not. Then, come the other decisions, such as: What to wear? What to eat? Is there time to do dishes before leaving? What is the best route to work today? All of these decisions occur before one has even left the house.

With daily work decisions, the bombardment of various products, and a life full of other input devices, decisions are made up of even the smallest: Do I keep scrolling? Do I give that a like or a love? Which game should I play on the subway ride home? By the end of the day, it is not hard to imagine we have made tens of thousands of decisions, or maybe even more.

In the veterinary profession, our work also leads to DF. While most jobs require some level of decision-making, many jobs lack autonomy through regulation, repetitive tasks or strict SOP (standard operating procedures).

While there are varying degrees of autonomy throughout the veterinary profession and within various clinic cultures, from the front desk to the very back of the house, decisions are essential to the daily flow and success of many practices. There is no shortage of decisions from the prioritization of tasks and clients to the determination of the best equipment and deciding on the best outcome.

Even once a decision has been made, our tendency to overanalyze the decision we made, the outcome experienced and the various ways the situation could have played out, can contribute to DF. When we give more mental energy to the decision we have already made, we draw energy from the stamina we have for future decisions.

Consequences of Decision Fatigue

As discussed, DF leads to a worsening of decision-making quality, an increased likelihood of default decisions and decreased self-control.

For many, this may mean ordering pizza instead of preparing a healthy dish from the ingredients in the refrigerator or spending too much money shopping online in the evening. Manufacturers and marketing experts capitalize on DF with check-out lane offerings, which are less resistible after the prolonged mental strain of deciding between brands, sizes, sales and labeling in the grocery store.

Those consequences are typical and hardly severe. However, what happens when someone suffering from DF has the freedom or life of another in their hands?

One study examined thousands of decisions made by parole judges, finding more favorable (granting parole) decisions were made in the morning when fewer decisions had been made by the judges already, and their mental energy was high. As the day progressed, the favorable decisions decreased by 10%.

Likewise, physicians have been found to prescribe antibiotics more frequently toward the end of shifts for conditions they were less likely to do so for early in shifts.

Another study determined that dermatologists were more prone to perform biopsies as the day progressed with a correlation between the increased number of biopsies and decreased positive findings.

Dermatologists were showing more accurate identification and the necessity for biopsy early in the day when they were fresh than they were later in the day and less able to determine signs of malignancy confidently and more readily relied on biopsy for determination.

DF is not just about preserving mental energy and increasing the ability to make better decisions, engage more readily in decisionmaking, and preserve through mental fatigue; in many cases, it is the necessity to provide care and relay information in a way that is essential to professional life.

Correcting and Preventing Decision Fatigue

There is some indication that motivational rewards may increase performance under fatigue. Therefore, if the metaphoric dangling carrot is sweet enough, one can find the ability to perform more readily when fatigued.

However, for most, decision-making is more about necessity than reward-based systems, and therefore there are many simple steps one can take to decrease unnecessary decision-making and thereby increase the decision-making resources available to them for more important decisions faced in the day.

• Eliminate Unnecessary Decisions

Steve Jobs, Barrack Obama, Mark Zuckerberg and countless other successful individuals wear the same outfit every day or some version of the same outfit. This is simply to reduce the decision about what to wear. If an individual’s workplace requires uniforms, there is already one less decision to make. If the clinic does not have uniforms, “assign” a set of scrubs for each day or pick a weekly wardrobe on the first day of the week, eliminating one decision for the day.

• Meal Planning

Determining what to eat and when can eliminate a large portion of the over 200 food choices made in a day. That is a lot of mental reserves. There are many great meal planning apps, books, menus, etc. Use these tools to reduce even more decisions about what to eat.

• Take Advantage of Technology

Using online tools can reduce a lot of unnecessary decisions. Grocery shopping online reduces split-second decisions (and unnecessary purchases) by eliminating browsing through the grocery store. Purchase just what is needed and save time by not having to shop. Use navigation tools like Waze® to eliminate decisions about traffic and the fastest routes. Online apps and tools often eliminate the need for unnecessary errands and running around town, therefore reducing mental expenditure.

• Stick to Decisions

Once a decision is made, whenever possible, stick to it. This helps to train the brain that once a decision is made, that is the decision. This will strengthen the ability to move forward mentally and not dwell on or continually change decisions.

• Prioritize Self-Care

The truth is, one cannot pour from an empty cup. Rest and rejuvenation are not optional and must be prioritized. Good nutrition and mental rest through meditation practice can help to build the ability to mentally override racing or charging thoughts, decreasing involuntary mental depletion.

While there will always be unexpected priorities and a need to make decisions, understanding the toll that unnecessary mental strain creates will help us be more aware of these issues.

Finding areas to decrease decision-making and preserve mental energy can help increase the quality of the decisions we make, increase our selfcontrol, and increase personal care prioritization. This creates a cycle of positive momentum and self-determination.

References

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2. Seth, D., & Honda, K. M. (2017). Impact of time of day on dermatologists' decision to biopsy. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 407.

3. Tian, F., & Exline, M. (2017). D24 Critical Care: The Other Half Of The ICU - Update In Management Of Non- Pulmonary Critical Care: Reduced Clinical Recall And Attentiveness Due To Decision Fatigue. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195.

4. Massar, S. A., Csathó, Á., & Linden, D. V. (2018, May 30). Quantifying the Motivational Effects of Cognitive Fatigue Through Effort-Based Decision Making. Retrieved from Frontiers in Psychology: https://www.frontiersin.org/ articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00843/full

5. Polman, E., & Vohs, K. D. (2016). Decision Fatigue, Choosing for Others, and Self- Construal. Social Psychology and Personality Science, 471-478.

Smith, M. R., Zeuwts, L., Matthieu, L., Hens, N., De Jong, L. M., & Coutts, A. J. (2016, March 07). Journal of Sports Sciences. Retrieved from Journal of Sports Science: https:// doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1156241

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About the Author

Beckie is a registered veterinary technician living in Southport, North Carolina. She has enjoyed a diverse career in small animal, large animal, and mixed practices, academia, management, and private consulting. Beckie is co-founder of Veterinary Advancements, a private consulting firm, and is a professional medical responder with the ASPCA Disaster Recovery Team. Beckie is host of Clinician’s Brief the Podcast and co-hosts the podcasts: Veterinary Viewfinder and Making Sense of Pets.

In support of her profession, Beckie is proud to serve as executive director for the Human Animal Bond Association, member at large for the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, and former executive board member for both the national and state tech associations. Beckie is also one of the minds behind Vet Team Global Stream 2020.