After completing long periods of mental work, one often feels dazed and fatigued. Research has revealed methods to eliminate this fatigue.
According to a study published by researchers from the University of Oregon in 《Springer Nature》, mental fatigue is largely a psychological phenomenon that can be improved through goal setting. The researchers conducted three experiments to determine whether goal setting could enhance mental concentration.
In the first experiment, 108 college students were shown a screen with a gray background and four white empty boxes. An X mark appeared in one of the boxes at intervals of 1 to 3 seconds, and participants were asked to indicate the position of the X mark as quickly as possible. After each response, participants received feedback on accuracy and speed, such as ‘Correct! Response time = 400 milliseconds’.
During the 26-minute experiment, participants were periodically asked to classify their mental state as task-focused, distracted, or daydreaming. This allowed the researchers to gather data not only on the participants' task performance but also on the emotions they experienced.
Half of the participants were randomly assigned specific goals. The goal was to respond as accurately as possible while keeping the response time under 400 milliseconds. The remaining participants were not given any goals.
The results showed that those who were assigned goals had fewer instances of slow response times, but the goals did not enhance maximum speed. Additionally, there was no change in the frequency of feeling distracted.
In the second experiment, the testing method was slightly modified. Half of the 112 new participants were randomly assigned goals, while the other half were not given any goals. However, this time, the difficulty of the goals was gradually increased as the experiment progressed. The first goal was to reduce the response time from 450 milliseconds to 400 milliseconds, and in the final stage, it was lowered to 350 milliseconds.
The results indicated that participants assigned increasingly difficult goals had an average response time that was 45 milliseconds faster, or about 10%, compared to those assigned goals in the first experiment. They also experienced fewer instances of distraction, and there was no decline in response speed throughout the experiment. The researchers explained, “Participants assigned goals in the second experiment showed no signs of mental fatigue. There was no need to make the tasks easier; in fact, we made them harder.”
The third experiment was a repeat of the second experiment, conducted in a face-to-face manner. The results were the same as in the second experiment. The researchers stated, “It became clear that when striving toward specific and challenging goals, individuals feel greater motivation and experience less mental fatigue.”
The researchers provided methods to apply the findings to daily life. Setting simple, clear, and specific goals is essential. When a goal is achieved, marking it and receiving feedback can provide motivation to continue progressing. Especially when feeling drained, taking short breaks can be beneficial. Even a brief break of less than two minutes can aid in mental recovery.
