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I heard a fascinating study on the radio the other day (you can probably search it on the NPR website). I'll summarize the findings. Two groups of subjects were asked to remember a series of numbers. One group had to remember only two numbers, the other group had to remember 7 (the same amount as in a phone number). The subjects were given a seemingly simple task: to walk down a hallway, go to another office, and tell the person in the office their series of numbers. Simple, right?
But here's the real experiement. As the subjects walked down the hallway remembering their numbers, they were stopped by another examiner posing as a bystander, who offered them a choice of foods - either some healthy fruits and veggies, or a piece of chocolate cake. And here's where the fascinating results emerged.
Subjects who only had to remember two numbers chose the healthy foods a significantly higher percentage of the time; subjects who had to remember seven numbers most frequently chose the chocolate cake!
From these surprising findings, the examiners concluded that the more complexity we have in our lives, the more difficult it is to make healthy choices. Making healthy choices takes more "psychological work" than choosing foods loaded with carbs, salt and fat, and when we feel overwhelmed or simply have too much on our minds, it will be easier just to go with the unhealthy choice.
The moral of the story: Simplify your life as much as practically possible, quiet your thoughts whenever you can, and if someone asks you to remember something complicated, stay away from the cake!
Yours in health!
Dr. Jan
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Too Much Complexity... 