Research suggests that tapping into evolved preferences for work and rest could help us be more efficient. A power law pattern of working, similar to what hunter-gatherer tribes follow, may hold the secret to better work. This pattern is characterized by intense bursts of work followed by periods of lighter work and rest.
Hunter-gatherer communities from different parts of the world demonstrate a rhythmic pattern of working, where an intense burst of work is followed by periods of moderate or light work. This pattern is not limited to geography or external pressures and seems to be innate in hunter-gatherer societies.
In 2013, American researchers fitted traditional hunter-gatherers from Tanzania with GPS units while they foraged for food. Almost half of their foraging bouts followed a power law pattern, making them less susceptible to exhaustion and hunger when stranded in remote areas.
The agricultural revolution and industrialization ironed out this instinct, but it still endures in our inner experience. Searching for memories is a form of mental foraging that follows the same pattern seen in the brain’s dynamics.
Newborn mammals also exhibit power law patterns, with periods of wakefulness and sleep alternating randomly until they’re around two weeks old. Even adult humans tend to move and rest in a power law pattern when left to their own devices.
The persistence of power laws across climates, people, and lands suggests that they may hold the secret to working better with our brains. Researchers have found that Darwin, Freud, and Einstein, three celebrated minds, answered letters in a power law pattern, with short intervals between receiving and replying to letters occasionally followed by longer intervals.
Power laws are abundant in nature and human creations alike, from weather patterns to language features. It is likely that these power law patterns imprinted themselves upon us during our evolution, inspiring similar patterns in our neural and behavioral dynamics. By embracing these evolved power laws, we may unlock a more efficient and effective approach to work and rest.
Source: https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/hyperefficient/