The science behind decision fatigue explains why CEOs make worse calls after lunch - Silicon Canals

"Every decision - trivial or monumental - draws from the same finite pool of cognitive resources. Your prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for deliberate reasoning, impulse control, and weighing trade-offs, requires glucose to function optimally. As that reserve depletes, the brain defaults to the easiest available option."

"The landmark study came from Shai Danziger and colleagues at Ben Gurion University, who analyzed over 1,100 judicial rulings made by Israeli parole boards across a ten-month period. Judges granted parole roughly 65% of the time at the start of the day. By late morning, just before a meal break, that number collapsed to nearly zero. After lunch? It spiked right back up to 65%."

Decision fatigue is a clinically documented phenomenon where decision quality measurably declines as the day progresses. Research by Shai Danziger analyzing over 1,100 Israeli parole board rulings demonstrated that judges granted parole at 65% rates early in the day, dropping to nearly zero before meal breaks, then returning to 65% after eating. This pattern reflects how the prefrontal cortex requires glucose to function optimally for deliberate reasoning and impulse control. As cognitive resources deplete, the brain defaults to the easiest available option rather than making optimal decisions. This mechanism affects all decision-makers, from judges to executives, explaining why consequential business decisions are typically scheduled for 9 AM when cognitive resources are highest.

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