22 COLUMN The HEALTH | July-August. 2025
Science of ego depletion
• As the brain gets tired, especially the prefrontal cortex, our ability to perform at a high level diminishes- a phenomenon known as ego depletion.
• Scientific studies show that breaks between tasks improve mental performance, and important decisions are best made earlier in the day.
• Short walks and mindfulness practices like deep breathing can recharge the brain, reduce stress, and sustain better cognitive performance throughout the day.
BRAIN NOTES
BY TONY PEREIRA
Tony Pereira is an Independent Consultant and Founder of SuperTrouper365
OVER my many years working in the corporate world, I have attended countless performance review sessions. In these instances, we typically present a summary of how our direct reports have performed during the period to a committee comprised of senior leaders from the Human Resources Department.
When the meetings begin, we are all full of energy. As the day progresses, energy levels decline. Initially, we are very attentive and eager for as much detail as possible; the HR team then asks for the key points about the individual.
Of course, this puts those whose performance is discussed later in the day at a disadvantage.
In neuroscience, this decrease in our mental energy is known as ego depletion.
In the fields of psychology and neuroscience, the concept of ego depletion has generated considerable interest and discussion.
First introduced in the late 1990s by social psychologist Professor Roy Baumeister and his colleagues, ego depletion suggests that self-control and willpower rely on a limited reservoir of mental resources.
Once these resources are exhausted, our ability for further self-regulation decreases, resulting in mental fatigue, impulsivity, and poor choices.
Although the term " ego " in this context is borrowed from Freudian psychology, ego depletion is more grounded in cognitive and behavioural sciences than in psychoanalysis.
This article will examine the science behind ego depletion, its impact on the brain, its behavioural implications, and how we can utilise the insights from ego depletion to become the best version of ourselves.
EGO DEPLETION
Baumeister ' s early studies showed that when individuals exerted self-control on one task, such as resisting the temptation to eat cookies, they were less able to persist in a subsequent, unrelated task requiring mental effort, like solving complex puzzles.
The researchers concluded that self-control works like a muscle: it can become tired after use but can also be strengthened over time through practice.
Chart 1
The results were very insightful.
This analogy captured the public imagination and sparked a wave of studies. The central hypothesis was clear: willpower is a limited resource, and once exhausted, our ability to make disciplined choices, resist temptations, and focus on goals is weakened.
IMPACT ON BRAIN
The brain is an energy-intensive organ. Although it accounts for only about two per cent of our body weight, it consumes roughly 20 per cent of our resting metabolic energy.
Self-control is especially demanding because it involves multiple higher-order cognitive processes such as attention, inhibition, and decisionmaking, all of which are primarily managed by the prefrontal cortex( PFC).
During the Covid period, Microsoft conducted a fascinating study monitoring the effects on employees ' brains who worked without taking rest breaks
Chart 2