06 Jul 2 Reasons to Spend More Time Thinking About Nothing
Like many people, I’ve always struggled with doing nothing.
Sadly, for me, it’s often been associated with laziness or wasted time.
But like many people, I also know that if were better at doing nothing I’d probably also be happier and healthier.
A healthy dose of nothingness can be a great recipe for happiness.
Sound interesting? Then read on …
via Psychology Today by Mark Travers
KEY POINTS
- Today’s fast-paced world makes a lot of demands on the human brain.
- Slowing down can help prevent decision fatigue and ensure that people make better choices.
- The brain tends to perform better when it has adequate time to rest and recharge.
Berkeli Alashov / Unsplash
According to a classic study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, it is likely that the more we use our brains, the less age-related cognitive decline we experience. But what does this really mean? Does it mean that we all need to become around-the-clock thinkers and information-processing machines? Probably not.
Humans are expected to keep up with the blazing speed of technological advancements today. This inevitably leads to the fast-paced life we are all familiar with. Given the relentless pace of modern life, it is unsurprising that the prevalence of mental illness is increasing.
That’s why slowing things down and taking a step back to appreciate your life and journey is extremely beneficial to your mental health. Here are two ways taking some time out to just laze and saunter, rather than hustle and run ahead, will help you live a more fulfilling and joyful life.
1. Slowing down helps you make better decisions.
By slowing down, we are potentially able to stave off decision fatigue, which is when our ability to make decisions becomes depleted due to the large number of decisions we have already made.
The pressures of our fast-paced world may call for a number of decisions to be made, but by consciously slowing down and making time to, say, enjoy an evening stroll in the park, we offer ourselves the opportunity to recharge and make wiser decisions.
Research backs this up. A 2011 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that parole judges, who are expected to make rational decisions based on the facts presented to them, were more lenient earlier in the day compared to later in the day, indicating that decision-making is often influenced by extraneous factors. The study concluded that decision fatigue caused the parole judges to be less lenient as the day progressed.
We all make several decisions throughout the day. These decisions use up brain power, which is a finite resource. Dedicating time to doing nothing means that, temporarily, you won’t be in charge of making high-stakes decisions. These “decision savings” can then be used to make better, higher-quality decisions when the situation calls for it…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE