Often, we are told to think things through because thinking is what makes us human, plus many of us get paid to do just that. However, a recent study reveals that mental effort can be a real drag, causing brain fatigue.
Erik Bijleveld, a behavioral science expert, was surprised to discover that even those enjoying the payoff from mentally draining tasks still don’t like the hard work that goes into them. According to Bijleveld, this group of people feel annoyed, frustrated, and stressed out. I mean, why wouldn’t they?
So, it turns out that our brains might be wired to think that thinking is pain!
More Details About Brain Fatigue
It’s wild that some people would rather feel physical pain than think so hard. A 2020 study asked folks to choose between a tough memory task and a heat blast. Surprisingly, nearly a third of them chose pain, although it was intense.
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So, you may ask why the choice of answers when people love challenging their brains with things like puzzles, teasers, and even chess. Well, it turns out that even when people enjoy mental challenges, it can still be annoying. It’s like the brain is wired to complain about hard thinking, even when we are doing it for fun. Isn’t that weird?
Bijleveld describes thinking as running a marathon—it’s tiring and can leave you drained. Moreover, when you are fully focused on a task, you can’t do anything else because your brain just can’t handle multitasking. You just have to put other fun stuff on hold, which can sometimes be a real bummer. In fact, you’d think everything is under control, but sadly, that’s not the case.
Even when people were doing stuff they loved, like practicing their golf swing or exploring a virtual reality game, they still found the mental effort annoying. Like, who wouldn’t want to virtually explore the famous St.-Michel Notre Dame train station in Paris? But even that wasn’t enough to make the mental work feel less painful.
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How to Rest a Tired Brain
If you are looking to rest your brain and avoid mental burnout, these few expert tips and tricks have you covered. First and most importantly, prioritize getting enough sleep and eating well. Additionally, don’t be shy about seeking professional help when things get serious.
Just like your body gets tired after an intense workout, your brain can get exhausted, too. Moreover, mental burnout happens when the brain is overstimulated or runs in high gear without a break. You might experience brain fatigue if you constantly study or work without taking breaks or deal with overwhelming responsibilities daily.
In fact, spending too much time worrying or stressing about problems can result in brain fatigue. One major sign of brain fatigue or mental exhaustion is feeling less alert and finding it hard to stay focused.
Just so you know, it can get serious and even lead to other severe physical and behavioral signs like loss of appetite, insomnia, avoiding social gatherings, addictions, and many more.
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What Are the Three Main Causes of Brain Fatigue?
Feeling constantly tired and exhausted is fatigue, and it can hit anyone at any time. Fatigue is more than just feeling tired after a long day or intense workout. In fact, regardless of how good your sleeping routine is, if you’re struggling to stay focused or just get through the day, you should investigate further.
The three main causes of fatigue are frequent medication use, mental or physical health conditions, or chronic pain. Notably, mental and physical fatigue can coexist, and if that evil duo is impacting your life negatively, don’t hesitate to get professional help.
As mentioned, fatigue could be a sign of underlying medical issues and can even affect road safety. So, don’t just brush it off; instead, talk to an expert and get to the root of it!
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