Full Bladder Improves Decision Making

anymouse writes "What should you do when you really, REALLY have to 'go'? Make important life decisions, maybe. Controlling your bladder makes you better at controlling yourself when making decisions about your future, too, according to a study to be published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science."

Comments

What if you can't get a full bladder?

[devxo]

I'm currently hospitalized for a longer period of time ( earlier post regarding it ) and I have a catherer, which also takes the urine immediately from the body. What should I do as I can't get a full bladder? On a side note, it's been great for playing MMO's as there's no need to get up to toilet...

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[click2005]

I've been in a similar situation for years. I now have scientific proof that my being 'the most indecisive person people have ever met' isn't my fault... I think.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Stenchwarrior]

I would say "lucky", but...well, you know.

On the other hand, were you hospitalized for, say, too many strippers grinding on your shit? Or, from too much Snoo Snoo? If so then see my initial statement.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's a pisser.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you RTFC it's Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[interkin3tic]

What should I do as I can't get a full bladder?

The experiment mentioned was "participants either drank five cups of water..., or took small sips of water from five separate cups. Then, after about 40 minutes -- the amount of time it takes for water to reach the bladder -- the researchers assessed participants' self-control."

That doesn't exactly specify it was a full bladder that was causing the effect, it might just be urine production that stimulates better decisions.

To make sure you generate lots of urine, I recommend you drink alcohol. I'm told by multiple sources that definitely affects self-control, though being drunk myself, I can't quite remember what that effect was. Anyway, the urine production plus the effect of alcohol undoubtedly have synergistic effects.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[EdIII]

On a side note, it's been great for playing MMO's as there's no need to get up to toilet...

Somehow I suspect that will not give you as much of advantage as you may think it does. Truly dedicated MMO players don't seem to concern themselves with bodily functions, or where they even occur. In fact, I doubt many of them can tell that they are happening.

The best advantage that a MMO player can have is an intercom system that allows them to request Hot Pockets and Game Fuel with a simple hotkey combo.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[skids]

That doesn't exactly specify it was a full bladder that was causing the effect, it might just be urine production that stimulates better decisions.

Or just better hydration. Though I could easily see that the researchers might have also conducted studies to control for that, and the journalist been negligent in mentioning it.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[cayenne8]

Ok, then this proves it!!

Most great decisions are when in the bar, or shooting the shit over beers with your friends.

When doing that, you gotta take a leak almost all the time...so, it would seem that these are when the best decisions are found!!!

Is it happy hour yet....?

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[OldHawk777]

I agree, folks should just piss-off and douche any asshole.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm currently hospitalized for a longer period of time ( earlier post regarding it ) and I have a catherer, which also takes the urine immediately from the body. What should I do as I can't get a full bladder? On a side note, it's been great for playing MMO's as there's no need to get up to toilet...

Catheters usually have a 3-way valve attached with a sterile cap attached to the third port (the other two going to the catheter bag and the bladder). You can switch the valve so that it is closed to the bag, essentially clamping the catheter, and test whether it is the sensation of a full bladder or the act of controlling your bladder that makes a difference. You could even dehydrate yourself and fill the bladder with water through the third port and see whether it truly is independent of the act of drinking.

Of course, re-opening the catheter will likely be the best life decision you can make during this test.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[tverbeek]

My mom has one of those.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[GillyGuthrie]

"Moooooommmmm!"

"Yes, dear?"

"Bathroom!"

"What's that, poopsiekins?"

"BATHROOM!!!!"

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Dachannien]

On a side note, it's been great for playing MMO's

Leeroy Jenkins? Is that you?

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[c6gunner]

Truly dedicated MMO players don't seem to concern themselves with bodily functions, or where they even occur

Related

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[TafBang]

please stop... you are one of the idiots that makes this site terrible. and If someone were to have a tiny bladder, it would be easier to fill and often be full. So "TBS" is obviously something you don't suffer from.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[oliverthered]

also metabolism, salt etc.. levels, stimulation (known to increase concentration), tempreture, blood vessel dilation etc....

now, why didn't they inject fluid into the bladder? and controls stimulate the nerves in the bladder that say it's full and stimulate other nerves.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[FatdogHaiku]

No matter how many people suggest it, or how high up it gets modded, avoid the tourniquet method! You might ask them to hang the collection bag from the ceiling... that should give lots of back pressure...

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[garompeta]

What should I do as I can't get a full bladder?

You see? It would have been easier to decide with a full bladder.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[Anonymous Coward]

Most women will make poor decisions then throughout their whole life, since most of them suffer from TBS.

(Tiny Bladder Syndrome)

Huh? According to this study it would mean that women have more opportunity to practice self-control.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[TheLink]

I've proposed:"How Do You Kill That Which Has No Life?" and "Mom! Bathroom!" for a title/achievment track in an MMORPG before... Didn't succeed :).

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[vlm]

II stole some of my grandpa's catheters and my buddy and me, ..err installed them on our selves. .... especially the UTI that I got from it..

Next time, steal new, unused ones.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[tehcyder]

Most women will make poor decisions then throughout their whole life, since most of them suffer from TBS.

(Tiny Bladder Syndrome)

There are times when slashdot needs a -1 moron mod.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[MrKaos]

Most women will make poor decisions then throughout their whole life, since most of them suffer from TBS.

(Tiny Bladder Syndrome)

Maybe this is one of those times when it's appropriate to say Piss Off.

Re:What if you can't get a full bladder?

[GameboyRMH]

You shoved something up your urethra to play counter strike better!? x_x You win, I can't compete with that much dedication.

Yes it quite improves decision making.

[unity100]

Also increases the urine that's not taken out of your bloodstream.

and, if you keep it too much, the urine in your bladder may even get pushed back into your bloodstream and outright poison you.

great researches come out, from the fine institutions of our scientific establishment, sometimes ....

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[h4rr4r]

If there is urine in your blood stream you have a real problem. Perhaps you mean some waste that would go into urine is not being removed from the blood.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[BJ_Covert_Action]

Yup, I am sure paid researchers who have studied various biology, medical, and psychology works, sources, and classes for the majority of their lives have come to the conclusion that it is healthy to poison yourself with your own urine and they are now suggesting it as the one true path towards happiness and success...

...
...
...

Hear that? That's the sound of Captain Picard's face hitting his palm at warp 6.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[Pieroxy]

Maybe you're better at making decisions because you're in a hurry to go pee and then you actually do make a decision. If your bladder was empty you wouldn't pay attention and wouldn't make a decision. Making decisions is generally a good idea.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[asher09]

Not to be picky (but then if we weren't picky there wouldn't be slashdot), but blood IS mostly urine. The kidney just filters out the solids like red blood cells and captures certain useful solutes.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[unity100]

yeah. actually paid researches, university scientists, actually, science on our planet DOES fuck up a lot.

http://amasci.com/weird/vindac.html#j43

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[h4rr4r]

Blood is mostly water. Urine is mostly water as well, so is vodka. Blood is not mostly vodka.

The various fun things that end up in urine are not called urine until they are filtered out by the kidneys.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[asher09]

The point you missed is that there is nothing in urine that wasn't present in the blood stream. Urine is blood minus the things I've mentioned above.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[interkin3tic]

and, if you keep it too much, the urine in your bladder may even get pushed back into your bloodstream and outright poison you. Great researches come out, from the fine institutions of our scientific establishment, sometimes ....

Point to me where the researcher said something like "... and there's no upper limit to this effect, so you should probably never pee again." The assumption with any medical research is that YOU DON'T OVERDO IT. You know: common sense. You can overdose on damn near everything. Vitamins are generally good for you, but they are also toxic if you take too much of some of them. Better stay away from them. Oxygen keeps you alive. Uh oh, if you hyperventilate, you pass out. Stop breathing just to be on the safe side.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[h4rr4r]

It is also nothing that you cannot find a pharmacy, that does not mean pharmacies are full of urine. Nothing is called urine until after it gets filtered by the kidneys. Which means blood is not full of urine, it is just full of stuff that may one day become part of urine.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[osu-neko]

Stop breathing just to be on the safe side.

Are you sure this is a good id... i... *thud*

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[h4rr4r]

Obviously, but no matter its source, it is not urine until it goes through the kidneys.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[jdgeorge]

The problem isn't the scientists. The problem is that there is a VERY large number of people using the stuff scientists discover/invent.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[conspirator57]

i have mod points but couldn't find a "-1 Nerd Rage" modifier. so i'm posting it. asher09 can share too.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[conspirator57]

or sometimes it *is* the scientists.. you know, the ones just out for their careers or agendas. the ones who falsify or maliciously modify data to suit their hypotheses. the ones who get published and waste other scientists' time having to debunk their bad work. those scientists.

news flash: science is also a profession. scientists are also human beings, not angels or robots.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[conspirator57]

i heard he liked to drink a lot.

from a professor who had a surprising amount in common with Tycho.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[NotSanguine]

Obviously, but no matter its source, it is not urine until it goes through the kidneys.

It's those cheeky, cheeky nephrons causing trouble again!

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[ColdWetDog]

This thread is nothing but a pissing contest.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[tomhudson]

Stop breathing just to be on the safe side.

Are you sure this is a good id... i... *thud*

Well, if you succeed, you'll never make another bad decision ... ever!

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[unity100]

really. did you really need the examples in the link i gave above ? its about scientists, booing, despising, ridiculeing each other. then, coming 180 degrees when they are proven wrong, to suck up. quite lowly, quite unscientific.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[gknoy]

I think you're being excessively pedantic (and know it). You're right: it's not called urine until it's filtered by the kidneys. However, the originaly post's point was that all of the toxins and water that are filtered out (to become urine) are present in the blood. I don't think any of us disagree on any of those points, unless we are doing so just tobe contrary. :-)

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[Sean_Inconsequential]

OH! Please tell me he had a pet elk that got drunk and fell down the stairs, he has a clairvoyant dwarf that sits under the table at dinner, he has an awesome mustache, and he lost his nose in a duel at college and made himself a new one out of gold. That would be the most awesome professor ever.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[mysidia]

and, if you keep it too much, the urine in your bladder may even get pushed back into your bloodstream and outright poison you.

That's not even the tip of the iceberg of bad things that could happen.... (1) your bladder could explode, or (2) [worse], you could wind up accidentally urinating involuntarily all over yourself, with your clothing still on.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[conspirator57]

sorry, mostly it was the drinking and hallucinations.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[geminidomino]

Blood is mostly water. Urine is mostly water as well, so is vodka. Blood is not mostly vodka.

Speak for yourself, tovarich. <hic>

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[mcvos]

But rushing important life decisions doesn't sound like a terribly good idea.

When I need to pee and need to make a decision, I go to the bathroom first, and then make the decision. Much easier that way, and in my experience I make much better decisions.

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[MrKaos]

Blood is mostly water. Urine is mostly water as well, so is vodka. Blood is not mostly vodka.

In Soviet Russia vodka waters you!

Re:Yes it quite improves decision making.

[MokuMokuRyoushi]

(1) your bladder could explode, or (2) [worse], you could wind up accidentally urinating involuntarily all over yourself, with your clothing still on

Dude. Priorities.

no it doesn't

[Anonymous Coward]

I have anecdotal evidence that exactly the opposite is true. And no, I would prefer not to say any more about this thank you very much.

Re:no it doesn't

[Shikaku]

I'm going to hazard a guess and say "Party Pooper" means something in a totally literal way.

Re:no it doesn't

[flappinbooger]

I have anecdotal evidence that exactly the opposite is true. And no, I would prefer not to say any more about this thank you very much.

When I have to pee really bad I usually can only focus on finding a place and time to take a pee. The ability to focus is greatly diminished.

Re:no it doesn't

[mcvos]

That's my experience too. When I'm playing a game and it's my turn, but I also need to go, I have a hard time figuring out what to do. I go to the toilet, and after I come back, the decision is suddenly very easy.

Re:no it doesn't

[PhobosK]

Yah ... and the funniest part of this "study" is the way they have assessed the results :)
"Participants were asked to make eight choices; each was between receiving a small, but immediate, reward and a larger, but delayed, reward. For example, they could choose to receive either $16 tomorrow or $30 in 35 days."
And here comes the problem in every study: choosing the right values/ways for assessment. I couldn't find what were the other seven choices the participants had to choose from, but this one OBVIOUSLY is a faulty one... Because the fact that you choose to get $16 tomorrow, doesn't mean that this decision is a bad one or an uncontrolled one... does it?

Anyway we should always be careful when trying to analyse the results of any study.... :)

Re:no it doesn't

[vlm]

And here comes the problem in every study: choosing the right values/ways for assessment. I couldn't find what were the other seven choices the participants had to choose from, but this one OBVIOUSLY is a faulty one... Because the fact that you choose to get $16 tomorrow, doesn't mean that this decision is a bad one or an uncontrolled one... does it?

Its a much worse experimental design that you imply. You can come up onesie twosie examples where the intelligent decision is to avoid delayed gratification, how about asking the diabetic if they'd like a tiny bit of insulin today or a whole bunch next month. Obviously they'd die if they attempted delayed gratification so...

The horrific failure of their experimental design is heres some dude whos gotta go "now now right now I gotta go right now" then they ask him some long complicated thing (complicated for a guy whos gotta go, anyway) end in asking now or later, dude spent the entire time going "now now I gotta go now" says now and they say bzzzt thats wrong. Talk about inadvertently contaminating your results.

They also apparently skipped the whole Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I am no expert on it but I'm thinking "gotta go" might prioritize somewhat ahead of long term strategic planning.

Re:no it doesn't

[flappinbooger]

That's my experience too. When I'm playing a game and it's my turn, but I also need to go, I have a hard time figuring out what to do. I go to the toilet, and after I come back, the decision is suddenly very easy.

Perhaps the "improved decision making" is just deciding "I need to have a pee".

Everyone knows...

[Bicx]

Procrastination is a lot more enjoyable with an empty bladder.

Re:Everyone knows...

[value_added]

Procrastination is a lot more enjoyable with an empty bladder.

Depends, I think.

When I was a kid, the winters were cold and the house felt colder. Learning to "procrastinate" (until the morning) was a challenge, but preferable to getting up out of warm bed to stumble my way into a freezing cold bathroom.

To this day I still sleep like a baby through the night. Unless, of course, I'm interrupted by the sounds of somebody else stumbling their way to the bathroom.

Re:Everyone knows...

[cayenne8]

When I was a kid, the winters were cold and the house felt colder. Learning to "procrastinate" (until the morning) was a challenge, but preferable to getting up out of warm bed to stumble my way into a freezing cold bathroom.

No heating in your homes you're lived in? Why not just turn the heat up a few notches and not have a freezing house?

Re:Everyone knows...

[operagost]

Depends, I think.

It's true. With Depends, you can empty your bladder and procrastinate any time you want!

Re:Everyone knows...

[conspirator57]

ask any legislator, especially in the US congress.

Re:Everyone knows...

[TheMidget]

To this day I still sleep like a baby through the night. Unless, of course, I'm interrupted by the sounds of somebody else stumbling their way to the bathroom.

... or by that nice feeling of wet pajamas rubbing against your skin reminding you that sometimes it's really better to go ...

Re:Everyone knows...

[the phantom]

Not to mention that he stated that the habit developed when he was a child, and likely had no control over the thermostat.

Re:Everyone knows...

[mjwx]

No heating in your homes you're lived in? Why not just turn the heat up a few notches and not have a freezing house?

Not everyone grew up in a house with central heating.

Old houses etc... In many nations it's not that necessary, our winters drop to about 10 C in the dead of night, of course the 40 C days we're having at the moment also suck.

Re:Everyone knows...

[mcvos]

A couple of decades ago, most houses weren't anywhere near as well insulated and heated as they are nowadays.

Re:Everyone knows...

[vlm]

Don't know where you're from, but when it's -20F outside it can get expensive to heat a house a few more notches.

I never really understood that. From an engineering standpoint I know the insulation / heat loss calcs only care about delta T. So raising the inside temperature 5 degrees costs about as much as lowering the outdoor temp 5 degrees.

You probably have no control over the outside air temp. Or do you?

The point I'm making is with some cheapskates, you raise the thermostat 5 degrees they act like you tried to knife them. But, if a 20 degrees colder than normal cold front passes thru, eh, who cares. Where I live 5 degrees outside air temp is about 50 miles north or south, so just move...

Crank up the heat 5 degrees, or move 50 miles south where its only -15F outside.

Re:Everyone knows...

[boxwood]

Uh some people have jobs and children in school and so simply moving is somewhat difficult. And sometimes "simply" moving 50 miles south means moving to a different country.

Also some people live in older houses that can be a bit drafty. My parents house is over a hundred years old and if its a cold and windy day "cranking up the heat by 5 degrees" has no effect. They have a wood fired furnace, and burning wood gives the most heat of any energy source but even with a full blaze going in the furnace, the fan running at full tilt pushing the hot air throughout the house, its still cold. This doesn't happen often, most times the wood furnace keeps the house nice and toasty even in the dead of winter, but it does happen occasionally. Of course its always cold in their house first thing in the morning because nobody stays up all night feeding wood in the furnace. So yeah, I understand not wanting to get out of bed early in the morning because its cold.

Its not the end of the world which would require a whole family to pack up and move and find new jobs and schools. Just an annoyance.

Re:Everyone knows...

[MokuMokuRyoushi]

Procrastination is a lot more enjoyable with an empty bladder.

Depends, I think.

Yes, Depends could help achieve that empty bladder.

Right...

[Ancantus]

"You seem to make better decisions when you have a full bladder," Tuk says. So maybe you should drink a bottle of water before making a decision about your stock portfolio, for example.

You read this article, remembered what it said, and then drank 5 cups of water 40 mins before a stock choice. Your clearly the kind of person who needs help dealing with high-impulse choices

So...

[Haedrian]

So, do you want to use the bathroom or not? Take your time with this decision, we don't want you to take a rash decision on this one.

Re:So...

[Marc_Hawke]

It seems to me that if you're sitting around thinking about various and sundry while you have a full bladder, then you've already failed at making the important decisions in life.

Re:So...

[natehoy]

Well, it might assist in choosing whether I need new underwear and pants while out shopping...

Holding it increases your blood presure.

[Loether]

I've been going to the doctor with a family member often and they were constantly taking his blood pressure. So I've been curious about the things that affect blood pressure and according one nurse if you have a full bladder your blood pressure will go up significantly. (Couldn't quickly confirm via google, could a slashdot MD confirm or refute?)

I wonder if the increase in blood pressure do to holding it gives your brain more blood so it functions better. I wonder if there is a way to control the experiment for the blood pressure difference.

Re:Holding it increases your blood presure.

[Rob the Bold]

I've been going to the doctor with a family member often and they were constantly taking his blood pressure. So I've been curious about the things that affect blood pressure and according one nurse if you have a full bladder your blood pressure will go up significantly. (Couldn't quickly confirm via google, could a slashdot MD confirm or refute?)

I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV.

But I have been told by actual doctors (including the one i'm married to) that a full bladder can increase your blood pressure a little -- conversely, emptying said bladder can drop your blood pressure. If you're on the verge of fainting for whatever reason, urinating can push you right off that cliff.

Re:Holding it increases your blood presure.

[osu-neko]

(Couldn't quickly confirm via google, could a slashdot MD confirm or refute?)

I'm not an MD, but I'm an engineer, which as we all know, qualifies me to answer any question. ;)

It makes sense. Nihil ex nihil, the liquid in your bladder is coming from your bloodstream, filtered out by the kidneys. If your bladder is full, then no more matter can be pulled out of your bloodstream (or at least significantly less than usual). The same blood system is going to have higher pressure in it if it contains more fluid than it normally would. Even if the kidneys don't stop sending matter to the bladder entirely, I would assume the higher fluid pressure in the bladder makes adding more more difficult, and thus the rate at which it is being added slows, slowing the process of removing it from the bloodstream, leading to some small elevation in blood pressure.

(There are a number of reasons why this would be wrong -- overlooking alternate means of removal, expanding internal volume, etc. But I believe it's at least mostly right, because I've heard the same thing.)

Re:Holding it increases your blood presure.

[ColdWetDog]

Not a terribly likely scenario - if you block off urine drainage from the kidney, either by tying a suture around it or having a kidney stone block off the ureter (the tube that runs from the kidney to the bladder) you set off a cascade of neurochemical events that quickly lead to elevated blood pressure - much faster than could be explained by just 'filling up' the blood vessels. The main response is from the renin-angiotensin system which is the basis for several classes of blood pressure measurement.

In the short term, however, it's BP elevation is probably due to just to discomfort. If you're bladder is so full that it's backing up the ureters (which have one way valves) and putting back pressure on the kidney, it's really full and it's really uncomfortable. The pain will increase catecholamine levels which tend to elevate BP.

/Rant
What a dipshit article. They didn't even bother to see if the bladder was full, just estimated the time it 'should' take to fill the bladder. No controls, no alternative hypothesis, no biology, just an epiphany that happened when the author talked too long. This is the sort of thing that gives science a bad name, wastes paper, increases air pollution and likely causes cancer.
/Rant

Re:Holding it increases your blood presure.

[sdguero]

From http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/why-does-blood-pressure-change-throughout-the-day.html:

"The Effect of the Bladder on Blood Pressure

Curiously enough and for no good reason, the urinary bladder influences blood pressure. Pressure is lowest when the bladder is empty. As the bladder gradually fills, blood pressure rises. Thus a pressure of 130/80 on an empty bladder may reach 160/90 when the bladder is full enough to send messages of “Please empty.” During urination, the blood pressure then precipitously drops back to 130/80. People whose bladders are never quite empty may carry a pressure which is slightly higher. After treatment and with the resumption o£ complete bladder emptying the pressure falls to normal levels."

Re:Holding it increases your blood presure.

[mcvos]

Another reason to sit down to urinate, rather than standing up.

Showing once again how psychologists are crazy

[Yaddoshi]

While today modern medicine will (hopefully) prevent a bladder infection from becoming fatal, it's still nothing to play around with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe#Death

Re:Showing once again how psychologists are crazy

[Stenchwarrior]

Heh, that picture of Tycho's supernova looks suspiciously like an infectious pustule.

Re:Showing once again how psychologists are crazy

[Paul Slocum]

From wikipedia: "Recent investigations have suggested that Tycho did not die from urinary problems but instead from mercury poisoning—extremely toxic levels of it have been found in hairs from his moustache."

As far as this study is concerned...

[pigiron]

I say piss on it!

Ig Nobel Prize

[conscarcdr]

Some nominate this research.

Re:Ig Nobel Prize

[Locke2005]

Sounds like a piss-poor study to me...

Also good for road trips.

[Xzzy]

It's also damn near impossible to fall asleep when you have to piss.

Drink lots of water on road trips, to the point you more or less constantly have to go, and you will never doze off.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[cool_arrow]

yeah but it will take 2X longer to get to your destination and you'll get fat frequenting the integrated fast food place at the gas station.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[Anonymous Coward]

Unless you piss yourself. In which case you'll wake up in a crashed car, covered in piss.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[Abstrackt]

At some point you will sleep. The problem is that you will also urinate at some point. Personally, I prefer that those two facts don't overlap. If you're holding it in just so you don't fall asleep I strongly suggest pulling over on a side road for half an hour and taking a nap instead.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[osu-neko]

If you're in danger of dozing off, you shouldn't be driving. Doing some trick to prevent you from actually dozing off is putting yourself and everyone else on the road in greater danger. This isn't a binary condition: either fully alert or dead to the world unconscious. You're still more likely to cause an accident, even if you didn't lapse into actual unconsciousness.

"I've done it -- it keeps me fully alert, too!" Uh huh. This is every bit as believable as the drunk who insists they're not too smashed to drive. You feel fully alert. Good for you. Now pull over, take a piss, and then take a nap, resume driving when you actually are fully alert and don't require any tricks to stay awake.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[gknoy]

That was insightful, but brings up an interesting question: How can you tell when you're too fatigued to drive safely? Clearly there are signs, at which point you are FAR too tired to drive safely, but how do you know where the line is? I'd hate to be driving tired and not realize it.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[MidnightBrewer]

How do you differentiate between "I feel fully alert" and "I am fully alert"?

If it can be proved that the natural condition of a full bladder actually leads to a physiological change, i.e. increased adrenaline and heightened awareness, then that would make it a useful trick. Comparing it to alcohol, which is an outside agent that always has the reverse effect of depressing the body's responses, is a fallacious analogy.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[mysidia]

"I've done it -- it keeps me fully alert, too!" Uh huh. This is every bit as believable as the drunk who insists they're not too smashed to drive. You feel fully alert. Good for you. Now pull over, take a piss, and then take a nap, resume driving when you actually are fully alert and don't require any tricks to stay awake.

Dont' think of doing it unless it's really an emergency. Pulling over to take a nap is a good way to wind up in jail, because in most areas it is illegal, particularly on a limited access highway/interstate/freeway; the shoulder is for emergency only, you can be cited, ticketed, and the officer will probably be giving you a sobriety test; if you happen to be drunk taking a nap, you're going to jail.

That said.... getting ticketed is a lot better than killing someone, if you can't stay awake for a few minutes. If you feel the least bit sleepy you should immediately find a place to rest. Do it LONG before you are at the point where you cannot stay awake for 10 minutes.

Do not pull over the side of the road to take a nap; find a gas station, rest area, or parking lot at least. This may be unsafe, but at least you won't be hit by accident by another vehicle at high speed. Better to find a cheap Motel. Cars pulled on the side of the road get hit all the time, and it's possible another driver will see you on the side of the road, and dial 911, because they believe something is wrong when they see a car on the side of the road with driver out cold.

That could pose some annoying complications for you.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[cool_arrow]

That's hard core. I thought I was tough pulling over on the side of the freeway, pissing in a gatorade bottle (the big ones :D), and pouring it out later.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[LongearedBat]

Some years back a man survived in the Indian Ocean for days after his boat sank. He said that when he grew up in north west Australia, his father once told him: "Son, if you ever get stuck out in the desert then what ever you do don't take a piss". Apparently following this advice helped him survive when floating out in the ocean without drinking water.

Probably helped by both preventing dehydration and staying awake.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[firewrought]

If you're in danger of dozing off, you shouldn't be driving.

This. Two of my high school classmates died in separate incidents while driving home from college; we buried them on the same day in near back-to-back funerals. Driver fatigue was the suspected primary cause in both cases. Shortly after that, a third classmate had a really close call after falling asleep and swerving across all oncoming lanes on the interstate.

If you get sleepy, don't chance it: blast the cold A/C, pull off at the next exit, caffeinate if possible, and find a spot to take a 30-60 minute nap. Big empty church/warehouse/mall parking lots work well. I did it a few times in college and once or twice since then (even when it pissed off my boss once), and it has always made the drive thereafter easier and more pleasant...

How can you tell when you're too fatigued to drive safely?

One big red alert is the situation where you start trying to rest one eye while keeping the other eye open... when you starting doing that, it's only a matter time before you close both eyes. More generally speaking, one goal every driver should have is to self-monitor: detect when you aren't processing the road very well (due to fatigue, emotions, or other distractions) and take decisive corrective actions.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[indiechild]

Insufficient sleep is one of the great epidemics of the world, but most people continue to deny it or ignore it. No wonder caffeine is one of the great socially acceptable drugs.

Re:Also good for road trips.

[7-Vodka]

That and you absolutely guarantee if you crash you will piss yourself.

And you might also end up pissing yourself, dozing off and crashing anyway.

Not true.

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Darl McBride, Aaron Barr and other people who are routinely full of shit make bad decisions on a daily basis.

I call shenanigans.

Re:Not true.

[c0d3g33k]

The OP talked about a full bladder, not a full colon. Apples vs. Oranges.

Drink more beer...

[nudnik72]

Should we conclude that drinking more beer leads to better decision making?

Well, I guess I won't be posting my joke . . .

[StefanJ]

. . . about how MMO players wearing "Depends" are just putting themselves off their game.

Best wishes for a fash recovery, devxo!

But....

[jav1231]

Holding your bladder can also be bad for you. Women, for instance, can have serious issues holding they're bladder too long. OTOH, one life decision will be made for you: going to the hospital and picking up some antibiotics.

Urine Control?

[sbillard]

Controlling your bladder makes you better at controlling yourself

Urine control.
Maybe they could use this to treat ADD/ADHD? Urine Therapy
Perhaps this could be used as a form of psycho analysis? Urine my head.
Or, how about conflict resolution? Urine my face

Re:Urine Control?

[Elbereth]

Yeah, I'm going to say that this is a hoax.

Urine control? It's too much

Not sure if it's sexual

[Anonymous Coward]

But I find myself searching for a bag of potato chips after firing up a fattie.. Actually the old lady does the searching for me. I don't feel like getting up.

Full Bladder Improves Decision Making

[Kylock]

Full Bladder Improves Decision Making

The obvious result is that your decision is to go to the restroom.

Is this useful?

[bluefoxlucid]

How would you rate the usefulness of having to pee versus, say, playing Go? I'm pretty sure teaching yourself to think carefully about why to do something (i.e. impact, value, future plans) and consider alternative courses of action (i.e. shit that could happen in response, and how you're going to handle that variation) is going to improve the decisions you make more than, say, teaching yourself not to piss in your pants after a 44oz cocacola.

Re:Is this useful?

[osu-neko]

Not comparable at all, unless you mean that literally, in which case, it's much, much better. Having a full bladder is supposed to improve your ability to make decisions, whereas being distracted by a game of Go, which does require some thought and attention, is almost certainly going to have a negative impact on whatever decision you're trying to make while playing Go, as demonstrated by the fact that you're trying to make important decisions while occupying your mind with something else entirely instead. :p

Leak

[mdsolar]

Geewizzz. Someone must have leaked that story. With all that psychology It must be going to the head.

Eh hemm....

[2names]

No shit.

I must've been a genius!

[Rob the Bold]

I served as the chairman of a not-for-profit board for a while. And our meetings just seem to be interminable.

Finally, I offered to be the permanent refreshment-bringer. I purchased only spicy or salty snacks, and only caffeinated beverages -- actually, just a tiny non-zero number of non-caffeinated ones to prevent moaning from the "I can't have caffeine" board member.

My idea wasn't to ensure good decisions, but just that something got decided and we didn't sit around all night trying to redirect back to the subject at hand.

Bed wetting leads to diaper rash decisions....

[Bob_Who]

Remember 4th grade slumber parties when you put your sleeping friend's hand in a bowl of warm water, to see if the oceans will spill over from dreamland ?

Its true. I have the proof.

[Jackie_Chan_Fan]

When my bladder is full, I suddenly decide to pee.

Wizzing on wackos . . . I dunno . . .

[PolygamousRanchKid]

I've worked with some folks in my career who should have been pissed upon.

"Ah, Donald Trump! I've been expecting you! You want to make a deal? Well, I'm a gonna whip it out, and then you can try to deal with this .. ."

On the other hand, a lot of the time that I've been working with certain executives . . . I think that their top skill is doing sword fights down at the pisser.

Hmmn . . . time to update my skills profile . . . "En Garde!"

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[lul_wat]

Can slashdot ban tinyUrl style shortened urls please?

Re:Post-coitus lucidity

[maxwell demon]

The best way (for males) to make decisions is when you blow your load either during sex or while masturbating. Right after orgasm suddenly everything becomes so clear because of sharp increase in dopamine. You let go of your inhibitions, fear, ego and able to formulate completely rational thoughts. But you need to make decisions really fast because the optimism fades away really quickly. I'd say it's 40 seconds to 2 minutes max.

I'm just imagining a meeting where an important decision has to be made.
The chairman says: "So, and now please masturbate ..." :-)

Tycho Brahe

[bmo]

The Ghost of Tycho Brahe just read this and gave a the finger to the summary, the article, and the people studying this.

"You guys, you just don't know what you're messing with here"

Last words of Tycho Brahe:

"Jeg har brug for at tisse så meget, at mine tænder er flydende!"

--
BMO

Re:Tycho Brahe

[bmo]

Well that sucks.

I just looked and realized that Slashdot doesn't support unicode.

It's 2011. Fix this.

--
BMO

Re:Tycho Brahe

[mcvos]

I just looked and realized that Slashdot doesn't support unicode.

A sad state of affairs indeed. However, Slashdot does have a preview button.

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[NevarMore]

No. If you're on /. you should know better and be able to figure out how to use preview on shortened URLs.

mmmmm beer

[mevets]

is there anything it can't do.

One problem..

[beatbox32]

I just know I'd end up deciding all over myself.

Well, I knew that

[dmomo]

And this is why I am pissing my life away.

Beer

[umask077]

And there BEER, for when you need to make a decision in a hurry.

I don't know about that...

[avtchillsboro]

After two cups of coffee in the morning, I couldn't think straight when I got to work--until I'd visited the men's room to take a leak.

Oh no

[mr1911]

I decided to read this story after returning from the restroom. I'm sure I wouldn't have read this otherwise.

On the edge of my chair

[FencingLion]

My secret weapon in the music competitions of my youth was to forgo visiting the restroom until after the performance. I felt having to pee gave me the edge I needed.

Re:On the edge of my chair

[Anonymous Coward]

A British politician called Enoch Powell claimed that you should have a full bladder to speak in Parliament because it focussed the mind. There are reports that the current British PM has copied the technique from him.

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[gknoy]

And if you don't yet, consider it training in being a geek, How To Avoid NSFW Links. :)

it also causes gout

[Dr. Tom]

holding it increases the chances of a number of medical problems, including gout and cancer
when you gotta go you gotta go

Tycho Brahe...

[olrik666]

Don't be too polite, and go if you have to!

"According to Kepler's first hand account, Tycho had refused to leave the banquet to relieve himself because it would have been a breach of etiquette.[20][21] After he had returned home he was no longer able to urinate, except, eventually, in very small quantities and with excruciating pain. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe#Death

Conjecture

[Un pobre guey]

Never make any important decisions or initiate any important activities when you have a full bowel or bladder. Mark my words.

FYI

[wrencherd]

tinyurl.com/63avlna

==goatse(dot)ru

Really?

[anglico]

I have a full bladder right now and I'm sitting here reading slashdot so I call BS on this article's conclusions!

Some people say...

[tanujt]

I wonder if she did a Frequentist or a Bayesian calculation from the test statistic. If she did do the latter, her hypothesis would've been "People are smarter when they have to pee". She would have needed a prior on that hypothesis. Experience across a spectrum of human interaction dictates that any hypothesis starting with "People are smart", would have an extremely narrow Lorentzian prior centered around 0.0000000001.

controlling my self?

[oliverthered]

well usually I'm in the third person..
the only thing I've ever found that allows me to mobilise my 'self' is Ketamine but I expect PCP and DXM can do that too.

I've never slipped into the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th or any other kind of self when needing the toilet.

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[lul_wat]

Yeah but why should I have to? Just post the actual URL.

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[lul_wat]

Once in a while I use that service, my issue is that it's a pain in the ass and that I usually don't bother clicking through tinyurls (etc)

Poor little golden statue

[lanner]

I'll never look at that thing the same.

That guy looks like he's really gotta go.

butt of all jokes

[k6mfw]

so far lots of humorous comments, damn I'd hate to see psychology studies for full colon. Reminds me I did a presentation on the WCS "space toilet" recently for the Traveling Space Museum. Out of curiousity for more info, I found a Hamilton Standard 1973 report, "Waste collection subsystem development"
Abstract: Engineering studies, design activity and testing associated with the development of a waste
collection system to accommodate both male and female crewmembers in a space environment are reported.
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19730019213

ok so I'm going offtopic but seems to be a real pisser just to make a toilet for a spaceship.

Re:StenchWarrior runs like the troll he is? LMAO!

[Stenchwarrior]

Keep gobbling up the troll bait, Petey. I know you're fat, but damn! At some point it seems like you'd get full....

Nice Layout

[somejeff]

I couldn't RTFA. WAY too many unrelated other words littered on the web page. Can someone sum it up for me in 4 words or less? Thanks a bunch.

Re:Nice Layout

[somejeff]

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/full-bladder-better-decisions-controlling-your-bladder-decreases-impulsive-choices.html Thanks better. I've just relieved my eyes.

Hey Baby,

[Culture20]

Wanna go back to my place? ..before you decide, why don't you go use the restroom? I'll be right here when you're ready to make up your mind.

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[ElderKorean]

Can slashdot ban tinyUrl style shortened urls please?

You mean the tiny url that expanded to http://gw001.dyndns-blog.com/

Would that have helped?

That site then does the redirection.

Not to be mistaken...

[ieatcookies]

.. For those who are full of shit...

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[tehcyder]

Hint: any tinyurl address on slashdot will lead to the goatse guy. There is no reason to use them here, all they are useful for is making print publications readable, online they're pointless.

OMG!

[warGod3]

So wait, I should only make decisions when I have a full bladder?? More coffee please! Oh and to make it more convenient, instead of leaving my desk to hit the head, I'll just use the trash can, I'll be so much more productive!

Re:Post-coitus lucidity

[garwain]

Bah, if it was an important decision, they should bring in hookers. (hard to take notes if your hand is busy...)

Re:For some, it might be a problem

[GameboyRMH]

Simple rule: Change the URL to preview.tinyurl.com. Other URLs have similar preview services. If it points to another URL shortener or something obscure, don't click it. Also don't let them catch you by making an apparently normal post linking to something you already recognize, like one nearly did to me this morning ;)

Oxymoron

[scatter_gather]

I see that many of you have expressed doubts methods and parameters of the experiments. The journal name gives you a clue to the problem. i.e. "Psychological Science".

Nuff said.

Re:See StenchWarrior RUN, lol... apk

[Stenchwarrior]

I actually made the first post in the threat that he references above. Someone had commented on a particular story and how it was going to turn into a MAC vs. PC war in x number of comments. Since I had recently seen some of the stupid shit that APK has been throwing out there regarding hosts files and his general inability to hold a civil conversation, I thought it would be funny to make a comment about how he was going to start a war about hosts files along with the MAC vs. PC, since that's all he seems capable of discussing (and I use that term loosely). Or, to summarize the story, I threw out a bucket of troll chum and he took the bait just like I hoped he would.

I take it you've had run ins with the douche bag, as well? It seems he's uniformly hated no matter where he goes.

Re:See StenchWarrior RUN, lol... apk

[Stenchwarrior]

thread, not threat

drunken poem

[heson]

To prepare for important decision,
I drink heavily amounts of beer,
which impairs judgemnent.
My version of Taiji :-)

dedicated to Gulden draak and SKA brewey.