Something you all probably already knew that I learned today

[azekeil]

It's been a while since I've had inspiration to write here but this deserves a post.

sessifet25 linked me to an article titled Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?. Rather than being the usual trite '10 weird tricks to fix your life' it talks about studies and what was learned around willpower, and it resonated.

Comments

[androktone]

I agree on the willpower fatigue but I quite enjoy making decisions because I feel I'm an agent in the world. Actually I chose my current job because I wanted to make decisions about my work and I'm quite happy to live with the consequences as I trust my judgement. I find being in a team where other people want to get involved in the way you do your work quite wearying, although it might be a different matter if you're all equal-but-different-specialities and there are no power hungry maniacs in the office!

When you're poor and claiming benefits a lot of power is taken away from you and you're put into the position of a supplicant (and made to feel it) and I think that is a lot of why people seem to get stuck in a rut and make seemingly inexplicable decisions. If you don't see yourself as a free agent you don't tend to see opportunities or give yourself permission to take them. I was in that situation myself for a little while and I see friends in it now, it is endlessly frustrating watching them failing to do anything about their situation but I do understand why..

[azekeil]

Yes, the equal-but-different-specialities-without-power-hungry-maniacs bit applies. I do also enjoy agency but I also enjoy helping people too.

Yes the removal of agency of the poor by the better off is now a starkly inexcusable failure in our society.