by Karen Topakian
Every morning, I make a pot of jasmine green tea to drink while writing. Often I have to stop writing mid-sentence to go to the bathroom. According to a recent study reported in psychology and sociology, I shouldn’t bound to the rest room; I should make an important life decision.
Scientists in the Netherlands determined that people with full bladders were better at making decisions about their future.
(Another reason why the Netherlands is superior to the US, they actually study the effects of a full bladder on one’s decision-making abilities.)
Researchers gave participants 25 plus ounces (750 ml*) of water to drink, waited 40 minutes (the time it takes for water to reach the bladder, who knew!) and then assessed their decision-making capabilities. Participants were asked to make eight choices about receiving a reward. They could receive a smaller but immediate financial reward or wait for a larger one later. People with full bladders were better at holding out for the larger reward later.
Soooooo the next time you have to make a big decision, i.e. whether to buy a house, respond to a marriage proposal, take a job, quit a job, invest…drink 3 cups of water, wait 40 minutes, then answer.
* Since the human bladder can hold as much at 600 ml of urine and the urge to go is usually experienced at 150 ml, 750 ml would break the bank except the water is absorbed by the body and doesn’t all convert to urine. (Try as I might I was unsuccessful in finding a liquid intake to urine conversion chart online.)
Tour de Farce 