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Studies

by Mike Masnick

Tue, Jun 14th 2011 5:59am




Filed Under:
decision making


The Best Time To Make A Decision Is... When You Have To Pee Really Badly?

from the ah,-science dept

Via Notcot, we learn of some recent studies on decision making that suggest all sorts of things will distract you from making a good decision (sexual arousal, touch, sleep deprivation, etc.), but what will help you make a good decision? Apparently, having a really full bladder.
A full bladder, apparently, helps us take more rational, long-term decisions. At least that was the finding of a study carried out by Mirjam Tuk, a professor at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. In an experiment, Tuk tested two sets of participants. The first was told to drink five cups of water; the second to take just five sips. After 40 minutes, they were tested on their decision-making abilities. Tuk says that the group who were, by now, crossing their legs, were better able to exercise self-control and hold out for larger rewards.
Honestly, it sounds like the study's applicability may be limited, but just to be safe, I think my new corporate management philosophy is going to involve forcing everyone to drink a lot, but keeping the bathrooms locked up for "cleaning" most of the time... It's foolproof.

25 Comments | Leave a Comment

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  1.  
    icon
    Dave W (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 5:23am

    Seems like they might be taking the p*ss...

    (Tip your waitress)

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  
    identicon
    Joseph, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 6:15am

    Think About It

    You go to a store and you have to pee really badly. Instead of lingering over competing products, reading labels, mulling a decision, you decide quickly and decisively, take your purchase to the register, and get home.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  3.  
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    Allen (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 6:26am

    Its kind of like the joke "A man can spend his life building bridges. Do they call him John the Bridge Builder? No. A man can spend his life raising crops. Do they call him John the Farmer? No. But you fuck one goat . . ."

    you can spend your life making bad decisions but piss your pants just once . . .

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  4.  
    icon
    ComputerAddict (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 6:49am

    Re: Think About It

    Yea then you end up with a Sony TV because "My Dad's Sony TV was awesome and lasted for 40 years!" Had you stayed around and talked to someone you wouldn't need to be paying for Identity Theft Monitoring right now.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  5.  
    identicon
    Pixelation, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 7:02am

    "It's foolproof"

    Until your staff start wearing Depends.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  6.  
    icon
    Chris-Mouse (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 7:03am

    Honestly, it sounds like the study's applicability may be limited, but just to be safe, I think my new corporate management philosophy is going to involve forcing everyone to drink a lot, but keeping the bathrooms locked up for "cleaning" most of the time... It's foolproof.

    With a company policy like that, you just might end up getting pissed on by some pissed off employees.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  7.  
    icon
    Chargone (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 7:06am

    Re:

    soon to be ex-employees, one suspects.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  8.  
    icon
    Killer_Tofu (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 7:16am

    Explains some things

    I guess our government here in the USA has too much free time to empty their bladders ...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  9.  
    identicon
    JeffH, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 7:54am

    Valdez's First Law

    Valdez's First Law of Coffee Consumption: If there are 2 restrooms equidistant from your office, the one you go to first will be the one currently being cleaned by maintenance.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  10.  
    icon
    DannyB (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:05am

    Trying to decide whether to post in this thread . . .

    . . . but I've got to take a whiz really bad.

    Ohhh, the dilemma. Should I post and waste everyone's time? Or run to the . . .

    . . . oh drat! Nevermind. Not so stressed about it anymore.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  11.  
    icon
    Gwiz (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:08am

    I think my new corporate management philosophy is going to involve forcing everyone to drink a lot, but keeping the bathrooms locked up for "cleaning" most of the time... It's foolproof.

    Foolproof right up until your building's Maintenance Dept. starts demanding hazard pay to clean your conference rooms...

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  12.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:10am

    Just keep an empty large sports drink plastic container handy, the mouth is large enough to accommodate the average American male.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  13.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:22am

    Maybe this study simply shows that water is good for you and that a hydrated brain is better than a dehydrated brain. I think this is the more reasonable explanation.

    Drink water folks.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  14.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:24am

    Re: Explains some things

    Didn't Homer Simpson have a solution to that at one time?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  15.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:26am

    Re:

    What they need is a control group. One group that drank five cups of water and got to use the bathroom vs one group that drank five cups of water and did not.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  16.  
    identicon
    Boomhouser, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:28am

    Sounds like a fetish. I guess that's all urine to.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  17.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 8:47am

    I think that what this study shows is only that the group that drink five cups of water were not stupid. They possibly concluded that the objective of the experiment was to test if they underperformed their decision making by preferring fast rewards and so this effectively acted like a warning that in the game they were going to play, fast rewards were a poor choice vs long-term rewards.

    A warning that the other group didn't had.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  18.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 9:40am

    Re: Re:

    How bout 5 cups of coffee

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  19.  
    icon
    Greevar (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 12:30pm

    Re:

    Or a urostomy bag.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  20.  
    icon
    Greevar (profile), Jun 14th, 2011 @ 12:33pm

    Re:

    Speak for yourself. I'm too big to fit in that. I'd need a Powerade bottle!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  21.  
    identicon
    Jose_X, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 4:41pm

    I'm guessing

    Being relaxed brings into "attention" a subconsciousness related to being relaxed (short-term indulgence, risk taking, no worries -- no regrests, etc).

    Being tense, brings into dominance motivations related to making "life and death" important decisions.

    Are we tugging at the web of relaxation or at the web of don't-make-a-mistake?

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  22.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 14th, 2011 @ 9:01pm

    "I think my new corporate management philosophy is going to involve forcing everyone to drink a lot, but keeping the bathrooms locked up for "cleaning" most of the time... It's foolproof."

    Sorry Mike, I just patented that as a business model.
    Now you owe me money for thinking about it.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  23.  
    icon
    Eugene (profile), Jun 18th, 2011 @ 2:59pm

    Re: Re: Think About It

    on the other hand, you probably wouldn't have bought a TV at all since that takes forever after you factor in the retailer's checklist of questions, packaging, installation and so on. You don't have time for this, man! You gotta pee!

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  24.  
    identicon
    Anonymous Coward, Jun 18th, 2011 @ 9:20pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    or maybe tea.

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  25.  
    icon
    musicalspirit (profile), Jul 13th, 2011 @ 1:28am

    Re: pissed on or pissed off

    well you know what they say, "it's better to be pissed off than pissed on!"

     

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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