Why is a "decision-making" job stressful?

I am a student of the decision-making process...and have been studying what I call "Psychology at Work" for over a decade. Since earning a master's degree in Psychology in 2003, I have continued to read, write and speak about the effects of "thinking" while "working."

I had to read this a couple of times as I slowly began to realize the significance of the words: (It's from an article I clipped some time ago in a "Brain in the News" article from the DANA press.)

"…the brain's noise level rises when the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate becomes overactive in the prefrontal cortex and at the same time stimulates receptors for another neurotransmitter, dopamine, in the limbic region."

The question "on my mind" that spurred further research and writing was: When this much activity is caused by an outside influence, what happens to my ability to focus on an issue impartially and objectively?

Does too much "brain noise" get in the way of being present and focused with someone else in a conversation. And, if so, what can I do about it?

My connection to this comes in my interest in why people can occasionally experience a breakdown in communication during stressful conversations.

When that "front part" of our brain kicks into action, planning a project, making  a decision, in a stressful situation, we immediately access other parts of our brains. The net effect is a "whole-brain" one.

I'm led to consider the following:

A negatively experienced conversation may overstimulate the cognitive/thinking centers AND the emotional/reactive centers of the brain. In certain situations this experience is even magnified and made all-consuming through memory replay and re-visitation. In that case the limbic centers of emotion and memory could retain those thoughts and feed them forward -  possibly tainting the current situation with an expecation based NOT on where we are, but on where we were at some point in the past!.

The net effect would be all-consuming the next time a decision has to be a made. There's the possibility we will make that choice through the filter of a negative memory or experience, which is going to cycle back again and cause more stress.

So, next time you need to address a some-what stressful or negative issue or circumstance in a conversation, consider the following:

1) Let the other person/people know that this situation is stressful to you.
2) State that you're interested in resolving the issue in a way that benefits you everyone.
3) Demonstrate your willingness to go through the conversational process to get "there."

4) Note letting the other person/people know how much you appreciated coming to a resolution regarding that somewhat stressful situation. About a week afterward, write a (preferably handwritten) note letting them know how much you appreciate resolving the issue. (This is my own personal favorite, and the one that makes the difference going forward with the long-term relationship building I consider significant to the "working together" process.)

If possible, highlight how easy something (work, a project, a meeting, etc) was in the previous week as a result of getting that thing "off your mind."

Comments

[joe bruzzese]

Your ideas for addressing a stressful situation are spot on with what the strategies I frequently use with parents and adolescents who also struggle with the continued onslaught of stress-filled situations. Great to see that these strategies are still promoted in the workplace.