“I need you to place your bag under the seat in front of you.” were the words recently addressed to me. As I tried hard to comply, I heard, “I need you to place your bag fully under the seat in front of you.” As I continued to try and push my bag under the seat, I heard the next words “I need the straps to be under as well as they can, in the event of an incident and become a trip hazard.” The whole time the flight attendant was speaking to me she had stood her ground, looked at me and spoke firmly and clearly. Once my bag was safely tucked away and the flight attendant had moved on to the next passenger the feeling of relief was tangible. I turned to my husband and said, “Wow, someone has been training these flight attendants in assertive communication skills.” And in a totally different space and time I recently listened to a podcast on the philosophy of dieting, and it was talking about decision fatigue. An example of this is when at end of the day we are so tired of spending the whole day making decisions that by the time we get home in the evening, the decision fatigue is so real that we end up making poor choices around eating late at night. It is as if we have spent all our will power during the day and there is no will power left as evening draws near. Decision Fatigue By Linda Ward Both events above led me to thinking about our interactions with young children. I began to ask myself how effective am I in giving clear instructions to children and am I giving too many choices to children and therefore creating ‘decision fatigue’ for them? The term decision fatigue was first established by a Florida State University social psychologist, Roy F. Baumeister. It describes the phenomenon that occurs when humans make poor decisions and show a lack of self-control following periods of needing to making good decisions and demonstrate good self-control. Essentially, the decision fatigue model suggests that after repeatedly having to make good choices we are less and less capable of continuing to make beneficial decisions. We have a limited number of good decisions before we’re bound to make a bad one. What I am saying may seem counter intuitive. As adults, we demand choice because we think the freedom to choose and the ability to compare alternatives will empower us to make a choice that is perfect for us, leading to greater levels of happiness and satisfaction. But research shows that with more choice, people actually become more frustrated with the decision-making process, less inclined to follow through with a decision, and less satisfied with the choice that they finally do opt for (marketing and shopping research). We have a limited amount of mental resources and energy to expend. Decisionmaking takes up a large part of our cognitive functions. When we are forced to make too many (often trivial) choices throughout the day we are using our limited resources, which can make us feel overwhelmed and irritable. This is known as decision fatigue. Decision fatigue is not just something that occurs in adults, and can be seen in children. For instance, during the day the child is trying hard to make good choices and then when the door opens for Mum or Dad to enter at pick up time, the child bursts into tears as they release tension and emotion. Or suddenly, there is a big tantrum over putting their shoes on when just prior to their parent arriving the child was peaceful and calm. We see decision fatigue in children in other ways. Some of the symptoms of decision fatigue can be avoidance and procrastination, overly compliant or will “go along with whatever”, impulsivity and lack of self-control. Over time the impacts of decision fatigue can add up. Studies suggest a wide range of challenges occur when self-control wanes after repeated decision fatigue. August 2023 { 24 }
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