Previous studies have shown that when we get tired, we make decisions without engaging in cognitively demanding reasoning, and we postpone risky or uncertain choices. The researchers at Linköping University wanted to investigate how decision fatigue affects decision-making in healthcare. The results have been published in the journal Health Economics.
“Our study shows that medical decision-making is also affected when there are repeated decisions. If it’s the case that important decisions on medical prioritisation are affected by what time of the day you meet the doctor, perhaps this should be looked at. We want society’s resources to be used as efficiently and fairly as possible,” says Gustav Tinghög, associate professor at Linköping University. He also works at the JEDI LAB, a behavioural and neuroeconomics research lab at Linköping University.
