Dead\u00adline \u2014 now that sounds pretty dange\u00adrous. It actually used to be, because the term origi\u00adnally came from American prison camps: inmates were not allowed to cross a certain line under threat of death.<\/p>\n
In our work envi\u00adron\u00adment, no one is threa\u00adtened with death if they exceed a due date, the \u201cdead\u00adline\u201d. Nevert\u00adheless, it hovers over us like a sword of Damo\u00adcles when\u00adever such a dead\u00adline is approa\u00adching. Time limits are usually perceived as nega\u00adtive and ther\u00ade\u00adfore dead\u00adlines are not a good idea, are they?<\/p>\n
It probably always depends on the situa\u00adtion and the person \u2014 but in the ever\u00adyday work of scien\u00adtists, accor\u00adding to a recent publi\u00adca\u00adtion, dead\u00adlines have a small impact on stress levels. Sympa\u00adthetic nervous system acti\u00adva\u00adtion, facial physio\u00adlogy, facial expres\u00adsions and move\u00adments were recorded as metrics for this.<\/p>\n
Accor\u00adding to the study, scien\u00adtists consis\u00adt\u00adently expe\u00adri\u00adence high sympa\u00adthetic acti\u00adva\u00adtion during their work, which is also due to the large propor\u00adtion of reading and writing acti\u00advi\u00adties. But this high sympa\u00adthetic acti\u00adva\u00adtion was about the same both with and without dead\u00adlines. It was inte\u00adres\u00adting to note that the subjects reduced stress by taking corre\u00adspon\u00addingly more breaks. In other words, they noticed them\u00adselves when the cogni\u00adtive work became stre\u00adnuous for them. Dead\u00adlines were not the driving force for them.<\/p>\n
Quick tip: It\u2019s better not to grab your smart\u00adphone when you\u2019re taking a break. Its inten\u00adsive use increases the acti\u00adva\u00adtion of the sympa\u00adthetic nervous system, just like stre\u00adnuous intellec\u00adtual work. A short walk or a power nap would be better.<\/p>\n