I enjoy that state when my brain gets tired from thinking hard when there is a way for me to take a break and do something that involves no thinking at all. It is almost as satisfying as binging on food that is delicious and bad for me. That is obviously not an option for people whose jobs require that their brains continue to think hard past that point of fatigue and the costs of making poor decision could mean the difference between life and death for someone else
The researchers found that participants who laboured on the more difficult task had accumulated more glutamate in this region of the brain by the end of the day than had those who worked on the easier task. And, given a choice between an immediate cash reward and a larger reward that would come months later, they were more likely to choose the smaller, short-term reward than they were at the start of the day.
It seems like humans should work upto the point when the break feels like an awesome reward and be given enough time to enjoy that treat so they are re-invigorated for the thinking again.
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