Decision Fatigue
Read Decision Fatigue and check the IELTS Reading answers. No matter how rational people try to be, they can't make decision after decision without paying a biological price. This 'decision fatigue' is different from ordinary physical fatigue. People are not conscious of being tired, but neverthele…
Passage preview
No matter how rational people try to be, they can't make decision after decision without paying a biological price. This 'decision fatigue' is different from ordinary physical fatigue. People are not conscious of being tired, but nevertheless they are low on energy. The more choices one makes throughout the day, the harder it becomes for the brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts: either to act impulsively instead of expending the energy to think through the possible results, or the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Avoiding a decision often creates bigger problems in the long run, but for the moment it eases the mental strain.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- default option noun
The pre-selected course of action that automatically takes effect if no explicit choice is made
When decision fatigue sets in, customers consistently gravitate toward the default option.
- finite adjective
Having definite, observable limits, bounds, or restricted quantities that can be exhausted
Neurological research demonstrates that humans possess a finite supply of mental stamina each day.
- fluctuate verb
To rise and fall irregularly in number, amount, intensity, quality, or structural state
Psychologists emphasize that a person's capability for self-regulation will fluctuate throughout the day.
- glucose noun
A simple sugar that is an important energy source in living organisms and components of carbohydrates
The biological processes governing executive functions rely heavily on steady metabolization of glucose.
- impulsively adverb
Acting rapidly, instinctively, or without careful consideration or long-term consequence analysis
Fatigued consumers tend to choose items impulsively rather than weighing alternatives logically.
- irrational bias noun
An illogical preference or prejudice that prevents impartial consideration of an objective reality
Refueling cerebral energy structures allows research subjects to resist deeply ingrained irrational bias.
- mitigate verb
To make less severe, serious, or painful; to lessen the gravitas or impact of an adverse state
Adequate nutritional intake can successfully mitigate the manifestations of temporary cognitive depletion.
- rational adjective
Based on or in accordance with reason, logic, or objective evaluation rather than emotion
Human beings struggle to maintain rational economic behavior when confronted with persistent cognitive strain.
- stamina noun
The bodily or mental strength that enables a person to sustain prolonged physical or cognitive effort
Exerting continuous self-control diminishes the intellectual stamina required to solve complex analytical problems.
- thereby adverb
By that means; as a direct result or consequence of the specified action or event
The participants suppressed their natural emotional reactions, thereby draining crucial reservoirs of cognitive energy.
Answers with explanations
- 14. E
Section E details an experiment where subjects were given **lemonade mixed either with sugar or with a diet sweetener**. The text mentions that these two options **tasted similar** (tasted alike) but had **different effects**, as the sugar restored willpower while the artificial sweetener had no effect. Thus, Section E is the correct match.
- 15. B
Section B explicitly outlines an experiment where individuals had to **resist the urge to cry** (controlling emotions) while watching a **sad movie** (something upsetting). Following this, they **gave up more quickly** (lack of perseverance) on a geometry puzzle. This directly correlates to the targets in the statement.
- 16. G
Section G discusses how self-control fluctuates and notes that even wise individuals make poor choices when their glucose is low. It adds that if choices are made **late in the afternoon or in the evening**, good decision-makers avoid doing so on an **empty stomach**, emphasizing the importance of eating to maintain glucose levels at the end of the day.
- 17. F
Section F introduces **Todd Heatherton** and highlights that he had **reservations** regarding the link between willpower and glucose, explicitly stating that he "didn't see how this process could be caused simply by variations in glucose levels." This explicitly matches the reference to a researcher who was not initially convinced.
- 18. C
The prompt asks for research that **mirrored an experience** from the researcher's **personal life**. Look for a researcher who tells a personal story first. Section C says Jonathan Levav **visited a tailor** for his **wedding** suit and could not tell the choices apart. It then says he **put the experience to use** in an experiment at German car dealerships, where buyers faced many options. The experiment copies the choice overload he had felt himself, so section C is the match, not the sections that only describe laboratory work.
- 19. D
Section D addresses how **supermarkets** intentionally place sweet items near **cash registers** (the location of products in a shop) because shoppers have diminished willpower at the end of a trip, exploiting their **decision fatigue** to prompt impulsive purchases. This aligns fully with the statement.
- 20. rational
The summary paragraph targets a term describing an attempt at logical thinking. Section A begins by stating, "No matter how **rational** people try to be..." The adjective **rational** completes the meaning, indicating that decision fatigue occurs despite an individual's best intentions to remain logical.
- 21. tired
The summary states that people are not aware of how they feel physically. Section A clarifies that "People are not conscious of being **tired**." The adjective **tired** smoothly fits the grammar after the phrase "aware of how... they are."
- 22. shortcuts
The blank requires a noun representing what the brain looks for when depleted. Section A explicitly states that under cognitive load, the brain eventually "looks for **shortcuts**" to save energy. The plural noun fits the grammar and context precisely.
- 23. A
The statement asserts that the energy for willpower is limited. In Section B, the text states that **Roy F. Baumeister's** research proved that there is a "finite store [limited amount] of mental stamina for exerting self-control." Therefore, this view is directly attributed to researcher **A**.
- 24. A
The statement relates an unpleasant or unpleasurable substance to an improvement in willpower. Section D outlines an experiment by **Baumeister** where a "tasteless low-fat dairy beverage" that "provided them with no pleasure" still managed to yield "improvements in self-control." This matches researcher **A**.
- 25. C
The statement says people's **responses to images** changed after they had to exercise **self-control**, so the researcher is the one who used pictures. Todd Heatherton had dieters **suppress their laughter**, which drained self-control. When **shown pictures of food** again, scans revealed **more activity in the reward centre** and weaker impulse control. Their response to the images had changed. Baumeister studied drinks and Levav studied buyers' choices, so neither used images. The answer is the researcher Todd Heatherton.
- 26. B
The statement links the order of choices to a consumer disadvantage. Section C describes **Jonathan Levav's** study at car dealerships, concluding that by "manipulating the order of the car buyers' choices," businesses caused customers to spend more money. This maps directly to researcher **B**.