1 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Wisdom Wednesdays. Today. 2 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: Let's dive into something and I think that all of 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: us can relate to, or at least many of us. 4 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: Is that intense creating for comfort foods, a glass or 5 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: two of wine or a couple of beers after a 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 1: hard day's work, or following a tough mental task, or 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: even a trying interaction with some complete mappet Well, it 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: turns out that it's not just in your head. There's 9 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: actually science behind why this happens. So we've long believed 10 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: that exerting cognitive effort, essentially intense thinking, leaves us more 11 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: prone to unhealthy choices, and there's a heape of research 12 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: to back that up. And it was often explained as 13 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: a weakening of our will pawer or our self control, 14 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: and that by using cognitive effort we basically use up 15 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:08,680 Speaker 1: those self control resources. However, recent research by a researcher 16 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: called Marcello Salinas and colleagues that's just been published in 17 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,399 Speaker 1: the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences adds another 18 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: fascinating layer to the story. They suggest that cognitive fatigue 19 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: may actually increase our perception of rewards. In simple terms, 20 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: when we're mentally exhausted, those treats actually feel more tempting 21 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: in our brains or even tastier than they would otherwise. 22 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: Now here's where it gets really interesting. They ran studies 23 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: involving both rats and humans, and the research has discovered 24 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: that cognitive efforts makes these rewards, like unhealthy foods or 25 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: drugs in the case of rats, seem more desirable. So 26 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: let's break it down a little bit. What they did 27 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: in the rat study was they had a bunch of 28 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: rats who had on limited access to cocaine, and some 29 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: of them were given a cognitively demanding task, and then 30 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 1: when they completed that task, they actually self administered more 31 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: cocaine than those rats who didn't have to exert themselves mentally. 32 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: But when the rats did the same cognitively demanding task 33 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: and then they were given a rest period of a 34 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: couple of hours, they actually self administered a lot less 35 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: cocaine than when they did the task and then had 36 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 1: the opportunity to have the cocaine straight away. So it 37 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: suggests that actually taking time to recover from those real 38 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: strong mental efforts actually then reduced the value of the reward. 39 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: In the brain, and this suggests that mental exertion can 40 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: actually prime the brain to seek out more intense rewards 41 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: or to chase those rewards harder. And then they did 42 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: some human studies, but they didn't actually give them unlimited 43 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: access to cocaine, but they faced a different type of challenge. 44 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,680 Speaker 1: In one experiment, the participants were asked to suppress a 45 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: specific thought, so a white burr, of all things, and 46 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: they were saying, don't think about a white bird. Don't 47 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: think about a white burr, while they were listing other thoughts, 48 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: and that's an exercise that requires substantial mental effort. And 49 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: afterwards they were given access to potato chips synsteatic cocaine, 50 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: and these participants not only more chips, but actually rated 51 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: those chips as tastier than the control group who hadn't 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: been through the mental ringer. So this finding really does 53 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: then back up the rat study and hints that cognitive 54 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 1: fatigue not only increases our urge to snack, but also 55 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: makes those snacks feel more satisfying, and that can be 56 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: expanded out to other rewards. So it's not just that 57 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: we use up our self control mechanisms, but there seems 58 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: to be an independent and synergistic effect in the brain 59 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: of actually placing more value or what we call emotional salience, 60 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: on those rewards and rating them as better. So, the 61 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: researchers did think about whether this effect could be simply 62 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 1: due to an increased tendency to make extreme judgments after 63 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: tough mental tasks, and they conducted a follow up test 64 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,239 Speaker 1: using both easy and difficult writing tasks. Interesting the study 65 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:38,239 Speaker 1: showed that while people rated chocolate more favorably after cognitive effort, 66 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: their ratings for unrelated items such as the length of 67 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: the pen or the brightness of a post it actually 68 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: remained unchanged, and this then helped to strengthen their idea 69 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: that the mental effort was really just amplifying the value 70 00:04:55,680 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: of rewards and not all judgments across the board. That 71 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: this effect has been seen in both rats and humans, 72 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: it seems to be that it's cross species thing, and 73 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: there may be an evolutionary reason to it. So why 74 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: why is that so? One intriguing theory proposed by the 75 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: researchers is that this might be not just a mere 76 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: byproduct of evolution, but it could This tendency to desire 77 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: stronger rewards after mental fatigue could have an adaptive purpose, 78 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: So think about it. After a hard day of solving 79 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 1: problems or strategizing for survival, early humans might have benefited 80 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: from a stronger urge to consume calorie dense foods for 81 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: replenishing their energy reserves. And that's that driver to actually 82 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: restore the energy reserves so that they are able to 83 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: do stuff the next day. And this mechanism could also 84 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: explain why the animals exhibit similar behaviors. So the perception 85 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:02,560 Speaker 1: of a greater reward after effort might have once provided 86 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: an evolutionary advantage in pushing us to refuel effectively when 87 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: resources were actually available. However, in the modern world of 88 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: and you know I've written about this in Death by Comfort. 89 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: In this modern world of easy access to high calorie, 90 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: low nutrient intensity foods, this ancient drive appears to be backfiring, 91 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: leading us to unhealthy eating patterns, drinking, and drug taking, 92 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: particularly when we've been stressed or been through a hard 93 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: day's work. So it explains a lot of those real, 94 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: strong desires that many of us have. Now, this research 95 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: not only sheds light on our behavior after a demanding day, 96 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: but it also offers new potential avenues for managing addiction 97 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: and unhealthy habits. Understanding that our creating for rewards intensifies 98 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: with mental fatigue could help us devise better strategies to 99 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: avoid these temptations, and that can be things like having 100 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: healthier alternatives on hand. We know, for instance, that you're 101 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: much more likely to eat the first thing you see 102 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: in your larder or your fridge, So putting those healthier 103 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: snacks right up front and making it hard to actually 104 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: access the unhealthy stuff by not having it in a 105 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: house or not keeping alcohol in the house is one 106 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,560 Speaker 1: way that can help us to not self sabotage. But 107 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: it's also thinking about strategies to just delay stuff as well. 108 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: Because remember when the rats were given a period to recover, 109 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: they didn't have as much cocaine, And I remember that 110 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: just sparks into my mind and me and mine. Gary 111 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: Davis who said that he had this six o'clock was 112 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: wine o'clock, and it was just this automatic, like Pablovian 113 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: response that went in his brain. So he actually decided 114 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: that six o'clock to go and do a short workout 115 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: and actually then found that it had a big impact 116 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: on his drinking. So just trying to break that cycle. 117 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: So there's probably a combination of things that we can 118 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: do in that making those rewards harder to access, particularly 119 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: when we've come home from a hard day's work, or 120 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: not having them around you at work, not having them 121 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: on your desk, but also things like just going out 122 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 1: for a walk at lunchtime or whenever you come home, 123 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: or doing a short workout, whether it's jumping in the sauna, 124 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 1: reading a book, phoning a friend, just anything that's going 125 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: to create a bit of a time wedge between you 126 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: and the access to these unhealthy behaviors might be a 127 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 1: useful strategy. So that's it for this week, folks. Hope 128 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: you find that useful. Catch you next time.