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Health Hints: 6 Surprising Energy Zappers
If you're sick and tired of feeling, well, you know, find out why your energy levels are so low and vow to make a health change -- or six
The Zapper: Too many choices If you've ever tried to choose one moisturizer from the dizzying selection at your local drugstore, you've run into one of life's surprising energy zappers: there are quite simply too many options available. And it's not just lotion, it's coffee drinks, designer denim, cellphone apps, you name it. All day long we are making decisions -- big and small -- and at every turn we are forced to weigh many different possibilities. It's exhausting.
The "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" conducted a series of experiments, which demonstrated that people faced with having to make numerous choices find it difficult to stay focused. One of the experiments, conducted in a mall, found that people who made a series of shopping decisions reported being more tired than those who merely browsed. The act of choosing, the study's author noted, can cause mental fatigue.
Short of finding a rock to crawl under or a time machine headed for the days of yore, the best thing you can do to reduce the energy drain from making choices is not to weigh every decision so heavily. Small choices --what's good for lunch? or which movie to see? -- can be made quickly. For bigger decisions, try to narrow your options ahead of time. Establish a budget. Eliminate the impractical choices right away. Do your research before you go shopping so that you have a better idea of what you are looking for before you are bombarded with what's available. And take along a friend for support. A real friend. Not a social vampire.
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Zapper: Your Posture
The "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" conducted a series of experiments, which demonstrated that people faced with having to make numerous choices find it difficult to stay focused. One of the experiments, conducted in a mall, found that people who made a series of shopping decisions reported being more tired than those who merely browsed. The act of choosing, the study's author noted, can cause mental fatigue.
Short of finding a rock to crawl under or a time machine headed for the days of yore, the best thing you can do to reduce the energy drain from making choices is not to weigh every decision so heavily. Small choices --what's good for lunch? or which movie to see? -- can be made quickly. For bigger decisions, try to narrow your options ahead of time. Establish a budget. Eliminate the impractical choices right away. Do your research before you go shopping so that you have a better idea of what you are looking for before you are bombarded with what's available. And take along a friend for support. A real friend. Not a social vampire.
SEE NEXT PAGE: The Zapper: Your Posture
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