Welcome to the Social-Engineer Podcast: The Doctor Is In Series – where we discuss understandings and developments in the field of psychology.

In today's episode, Chris and Dr. Abbie discuss decision fatigue—how making too many choices throughout the day drains mental energy and affects judgment. They explain how stress and lack of sleep make it worse, how it differs from burnout, and why leaders and parents are especially vulnerable. The episode also shares simple, practical strategies to reduce daily decisions, protect mental energy, and prioritize recovery.

[Mar 2, 2026]

00:00 - Intro

00:56 - Show Updates and Sponsors

02:35 - What Decision Fatigue Is

03:34 - Stress, Sleep, and Mental Energy

05:12 - Mental vs. Physical Limits

07:13 - Decision Fatigue vs. Burnout

10:22 - Leadership, Empathy, and Hard Decisions

14:33 - Prevention: Routines and Breaks

20:43 - Advisors and AI Caution

24:38 - Everyday Life and Parenting Load

27:23 - Recovery Outlets and Wrap-Up

28:49 - Closing and Next Month's Topic (Diet Culture)

Find us online:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-abbie-maroño-phd

Instagram: @DoctorAbbieofficial

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christopherhadnagy

References:

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252–1265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252

Baumeister, R. F., & Tierney, J. (2011). Willpower: Rediscovering the greatest human strength. Penguin Press.

Danziger, S., Levav, J., & Avnaim-Pesso, L. (2011). Extraneous factors in judicial decisions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(17), 6889–6892. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1018033108

Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B. S. (2012). Social influences on neuroplasticity: Stress and interventions to promote well-being. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 689–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3093

Fleming, S. M., & Dolan, R. J. (2012). The neural basis of metacognitive ability. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 367(1594), 1338–1349. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2011.0417

Hagger, M. S., Wood, C., Stiff, C., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. D. (2010). Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), 495–525. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019486

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.