Science Has Proven That “Thinking Hard” Makes People Feel Tired

If you find yourself exhausted after a college exam . . . or an episode of “Jeopardy!”, for the old-schoolers out there . . . it’s because you’re tired from THINKING TOO HARD.  And there’s science to back that up.

Researchers in France have found that when a brain performs intense cognitive work . . . typically for a few hours or longer . . . “potentially toxic byproducts” build up in the prefrontal cortex.  That causes cognitive fatigue.

So is thinking hard POISONING your brain?  Not really . . . but KIND OF!  This build-up can influence how people make decisions . . . steering you toward low-energy actions that may deliver rewards with no effort or waiting.

In other words, when the brain gets tired, it doesn’t just use fatigue to push us to switch to a more gratifying activity . . . it can be a signal to slow down “to preserve the integrity of brain functioning.”

The study didn’t provide a “hack” for bypassing this mental limitation . . . other than the usual stuff like getting good rest and sleep.  (Study Finds / Cell.com)