If you’ve been to this website more than once over the past year, you’ll have noticed that the ‘decor’ or design has changed a few times during that time. When I started this blog, I thought I found the right theme and look for the site, and then I saw something else and thought it would work better so I changed to that and then realized I didn’t like it. This current theme is possible the third or fourth iteration, and I’m coming to realize I do not like it as much as I thought the first few times I saw it. It is growing on me, but it is not completely there.
Well, one of the things I’ve realized during those past few months is that my habits actually have research to back them up. One researcher says that I have high ambivalence. That it, I take a long time to make decisions. And, in response to a New York Times article from this week, yes, I do suffer from decision fatigue.
As John Tierney in the NYT puts it:
Decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes, buy junk food at the supermarket and can’t resist the dealer’s offer to rustproof their new car. No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price.
Well, in such a case, there are two options: become reckless and face the consequences later or avoid the decisions and face the consequences later. I have to be honest, I’ve swung between both when making decisions, although it’s heavily towards avoidance. I guess I’ll eventually settle on a design theme for this blog. I’m the kind of person who usually knows exactly what I don’t want. It takes me a while longer to know exactly what I want. But, when I see it, when I find it, I know it.
In the mean time, the article is actually a good read, and addresses the toll that such decision-making can take on the poor.
What do you think? Do you suffer from decision fatigue? Is this just another one of western societies’ obsession with labeling? Discuss.
Caribbean Health Communication Blog 