Stress Impact on Decision Making

Ever made a regrettable decision simply because you were mentally drained? You’re not alone! Mental #fatigue doesn’t just make us feel drained—it reshapes the way we think, prioritize, and choose. What happens in the brain when we’re mentally worn out? Most of us assume the #brain just runs out of energy, but recent research suggests something different. It found that mental fatigue increases the cost of exerting #CognitiveControl—a brain function that helps us focus, resist distractions, and make thoughtful decisions. In this experiment, participants were asked to perform either challenging or simple mental tasks throughout the day. After each round, they made decisions between easy, low-reward options or harder, high-reward ones. This cycle repeated five times over a 6.25 hour period!! They found: 👉 Initially, both groups made similar choices. But over time, participants doing tougher tasks shifted their preferences to easier, low-reward options. This suggests that cognitive fatigue does not just reduce overall performance but increases the perceived cost of cognitive effort, leading to a shift in preferences towards choices that are less demanding. 👉 At the end of the day, a region of the brain associated with cognitive control called the “lateral prefrontal cortex” showed higher concentrations of the chemical glutamate for the participants doing the mentally demanding task, similar to that seen in chronic stress. This increase makes cognitive control harder to perform and may explain why the participants favoured low-cost, low-reward options later in the day. 👉 The change in glutamate levels was not found in the visual cortex, a brain region involved in the task but not typically associated with cognitive control. This finding suggests that the brain changes are localised to the regions needed for cognitive control rather than a result of overall fatigue or loss of energy. Interestingly, when asked about their fatigue at the end of the day, both groups reported the same levels even though only one group was making poorer decisions. In other words, people’s conscious perception of their mental fatigue was not a good indicator of their ability to make good economic decisions. What does this mean? 👉 Take Breaks. Your brain uses rest to clear waste products including glutamate, so taking breaks can help manage the mental fatigue that impairs cognitive control. 👉 Reduce Cognitive Load. Constant task switching, intense problem solving and even learning new skills can all be cognitively demanding. Try to reduce the demand on your cognitive control system by interspersing less demanding tasks. 👉 Avoid time pressure. If you’ve had a mentally demanding time, give yourself additional time before making important decisions. This research raises big questions: How can workplaces design environments to reduce cognitive fatigue? What could this mean for productivity? What strategies do you use to stay mentally sharp during demanding days?

The leadership decision that changed everything for me? Learning to pause before deciding. Research shows leaders make up to 35,000 decisions daily. Your brain wasn't designed for this volume. But it can be trained. I see this especially with women leaders - pressured to decide quickly to prove competence. The cost? McKinsey found executives waste 37% of resources on poor choices made under pressure. When I work with senior women leaders, we start with one truth: Your brain on autopilot isn't your best leadership asset. Here's what happens when you bring mindfulness to your decisions: 1. Mental Noise Quiets Down → The constant chatter in your head calms → You hear yourself think clearly → The signals that matter become obvious → One healthcare executive told me: "I finally stopped second-guessing every choice" 2. Emotional Wisdom Grows → You notice feelings without being controlled by them → You respond rather than react → Your decisions come from clarity, not fear → A tech leader in our program reported: "I stopped making decisions from a place of proving myself" 3. Intuition Becomes Reliable → Your body's wisdom becomes accessible → You detect subtle signals others miss → Research shows mindful leaders make 29% more accurate intuitive judgments → A finance VP shared: "I can now tell the difference between fear and genuine caution" 4. Stress No Longer Drives Choices → Pressure doesn't cloud your thinking → You stay composed when stakes are high → Your team feels your steadiness → As one client put it: "My team now brings me real issues, not sanitized versions" Have you noticed how your best decisions rarely come when you're rushed or pressured? The women I coach aren't learning to decide slowly. They're learning to decide consciously. Try these practices: 1. Before high-stakes meetings, take three conscious breaths 2. Create a "decision journal" noting your state of mind when deciding 3. Schedule 10 minutes of quiet reflection before making important choices Your greatest leadership asset isn't your strategy. It's the quality of your presence in the moment of choice. What important decision are you facing that deserves your full presence? 📚 Explore practical decision frameworks in my book - The Conscious Choice 🔔 Follow Bhavna Toor for more research-backed wisdom on leading consciously 💬 DM me to learn how our leadership programs help women leaders make conscious choices that transform their impact

How Chronic Stress Impacts Executive Decision-Making Leaders often face undue pressure to perform in high-stakes environments. Chronic stress fundamentally alters the way executives and leaders make decisions, often shifting the brain from rational, goal-directed thinking to reactive, habitual responses. If you find yourself trapped in emotional reactions and struggling to make sound decisions under pressure, you’re not alone. Recognizing this invisible drain is the first step to restoring the clarity, confidence, and high-level decision-making your role demands. Let’s explore the impact and some effective mindset shifts to regain clarity. How Chronic Stress Impacts Decision-Making: ➡️ Amygdala Activation: Stress triggers fight-or-flight responses, leading to emotional, reactive choices. ➡️ Prefrontal Cortex Suppression: Critical thinking and planning are compromised, leading to increased impulsivity. ➡️ Habitual Behavior Shift: Stress drives you to automatic responses, which limit your creativity and innovation. ➡️ Impaired Memory & Flexibility: Reduced adaptability can compound poor decision-making. Understanding the “Lizard Brain”: When under pressure, our brains can revert to primitive survival instincts, what we refer to as “lizard brain” thinking. This instinctual response narrows our focus and limits creative problem-solving, often leading to regrettable decisions. Mindset Shifts to Restore Clarity: ✅ Mindfulness: Pause before reacting to engage rational thinking. ✅ Reframe Stress: See stress as a challenge, not a threat, to maintain higher-order thinking. ✅ Take Breaks: Regular pauses help mitigate the effects of stress and refocus decision-making. ✅ Focus on Long-Term Goals: Keep broader objectives in sight to combat tunnel vision. Ready to step out of survival mode and reclaim your best thinking? I’m always here to exchange ideas or support fellow high performers. #executivewellness #decisionmaking #mindsetmastery #stressresilience #leadershipclarity #sustainedexcellence

I used to think all stress was harmful. But some stress is actually positive feedback. Healthy stress: ✅ Energizes ✅ Sharpens focus ✅ Creates clarity ➡️ E.g. A job that pushes you to grow, or exercising. Unhealthy stress: ❌ Depletes ❌ Blurs decisions ❌ Creates foggy head ➡️ E.g. Financial, hating your job or family issues. Now, when I feel stress, I ask: “Is this moving me forward, or just wearing me down?” Forward = lean into it.  Wearing down = fix it fast. It’s changed: How I hire: people who thrive under healthy pressure. How I set goals: Ambitious but not impossible. How I communicate: Clear stakes, not manufactured urgency. Healthy stress has a purpose. Unhealthy stress just has consequences. Here's what most founders miss: You track your CAC, LTV, and burn rate religiously. But you ignore your stress dashboard completely. Your mental state determines your output. Your output determines your outcome. Start tracking: → What energizes vs. drains you → Which pressures sharpen vs. scatter your thinking → When stress helps vs. hurts your decisions Treat your mind like your most important metric. Because it is. What's one unhealthy stressor you need to eliminate this week? Follow me Ray Jang for daily posts as I scale Atria, an AI platform for marketers to create killer ads with ease.

Why smart people make bad decisions under pressure: (and how to avoid this trap) After years and years in business, I’ve noticed something: Some of the smartest people I know often make the worst decisions when stressed. Here’s why: Under pressure, our brain chemistry changes. Logic gets suppressed. Emotions take control. This, naturally, leads to costly mistakes in business: → Emotional investments → Bad partnerships → Wrong hires So the solution for better decisions isn’t more knowledge… It’s a better system. Create decision-making frameworks BEFORE you need to make a big decision. Set clear rules and build in mandatory waiting periods. Make sure that when things get stressful, you don’t need to rely on your ability to stay calm… You can rely on systems you built for yourself. — Which decision-making systems do you use? Share them below ⬇️ — Ian Sells