These recently published findings actually suggest that making an important decision after a long day is a very bad idea…
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To carry out this study, researchers spent hours subjecting participants to a series of difficult memory exercises.
During their short breaks from these exercises, subjects had to make an important decision: choosing between receiving a sum of money right then, or another higher amount but at a later date. Scientists compared these results to those of other participants who had spent the day either reading or playing.
The final results
The results show that when a day has been mentally straining, we tend to look for a reward for this struggle, usually in the form of money. Researchers have also observed that at the end of the day, activity in the area of the brain involved in making decisions is significantly lesser.
Obviously, this decline in brain activity wasn’t observed in the subjects who had spent the day relaxing instead.
So the moral of this study is that it’s better to avoid making an important decision after a stressful day… especially one that involves money.