Doctors prescribe unnecessary antibiotics more often as the day goes on. Not because afternoon patients are sicker — because saying “here’s a prescription” takes less mental effort than explaining why you don’t need one.
That’s decision fatigue. Not your brain running out of gas — that theory was debunked by two massive replication studies. What actually happens is simpler and worse: your brain decides that careful thinking isn’t worth the effort. It quietly lowers its standards and never flags the switch.
And this is exactly when mindjacking finds the open door. When you’re depleted, someone else’s conclusion isn’t just tempting — it’s a relief. The algorithm’s recommendation saves you from evaluating. The expert’s opinion saves you from forming your own. You don’t hand over your thinking because you’re lazy. You hand it over because you’re empty.
This week’s Thinking 101 episode breaks down the four signals that your judgment is compromised and what to do before fatigue makes your decisions for you.
Full transcript of episode can be found on philmckinney.com