Hi,

Yes, it does happen. A better thing would be to continue for some more time, This builds up your resolve. If you tend to relax and get out of your place then it is likely to become a habit and self-pity. Physical exhaustion is different and it requires rest. Imagine yourselves climbing a 90-degree hillock with bare hands and legs. Can you afford to relax? Interest drives motivation.

I'm a neurofeedback provider. Neurofeedback is also known as EEG biofeedback. What you're describing is not uncommon when doing cognitive-intense work for extended lengths of time. I highly recommend that you find an experienced neurofeedback provider to help. Neurofeedback is operant conditioning for the brain. What you're describing is a classically underactivated brain. Your brain functions optimally when electromagnetic activity is optimal; however, intense work such as research can leave us with something of a "worn out" brain from such high intensity. Hence, brain underactivation results.

For example, in a certain season of his life, my mechanical engineer husband was doing intense software, electrical, and mechanical engineering work for 8-14 hours per day. He experienced cognitive exhaustion as well. Same as your description. Within only about 2-4 neurofeedback sessions, he was already feeling better and more cognitively energetic. I encourage you to explore neurofeedback. I specifically recommend the BrainPaint system due to its highly systematic, evidence-based approach, but I noticed there are no providers in your area.

I have a website that explains more about brain functioning and how neurofeedback works to optimize brain functioning through operant conditioning --> www.elevatebraintraining.com

I wish you the best. What you're describing tends to worsen if you do nothing about it and if you continue working at the same level of cognitive intensity. I've been a neurofeedback provider for 7 years. Have successfully served hundreds of clients. Only about 95% of clients do not respond to neurofeedback, and usually it's because they're using cannibus at least 3 times/week, or they're taking a daily benzodiazapine. I wish you well!

Cognitive exhaustion experienced in course of research by you or by others while accomplishing a major assignment of life irrespective of age and gender are but natural. Any task requiring high focus for fulfillment within given time frame with quality and perfection is likely to exhaust us both physically and mentally. However, I perceive direct correlation between intensity and extent of exhaustion with our mindset. Quite notably, Ageing studies reveal that cognitive deficits in late life are seldom recovered.

Emerging area of Neurophysiology has answer to all our queries pertaining to complex brain functions. Neurofeedback providers have definitely a big role to play in refreshing our brains and enhancing our mental abilities.I wish to learn this emerginpost-superannuationimminent post-superannuation learning phase for better understanding and better interaction.

You are French ... what is your daily level of wine consumption? Even a modest amount may have a debilitating effect. Also certain medications (e.g. statins) may begin to have such an effect after years of use.

That's the point in which you need the supervisor support.

It is nearly the same with me. To handle this problem, I start with a different work/research and when the situation arrives in this work as well, I switch back.

It's is a common issue and happening every where. I share only one sentence that "Excess of everything is bad".

Not medical advice, but Ive been taking a choline supplement, paired with a racetam supplement, and it helps me. Worth a look imho.

Alexander Gibson I'm interested to know about the choline supplement working for you. I think the cognitive exhaustion have some similarities with attention deficit disorder where the traditional prescription is ritalin.

Using energy booster such as coffee, redbull, vitamin, nicotine... work a bit but only a bit for me.

Aijaz Panhwar Funnily I first read your sentence "Everything is bad" instead of "Excess of everything is bad". I though "man, this fellow is in a really bad mood"

Erhard Schulze That is a good advice. Do you switch to something as complicated or to a simpler more monotonic research?

Karl Pfeifer I think you've some stereotype about French. I don't drink wine at all. Coming from the region of Bretagne, I drink only cider :-)

Bhaweshwar Singh Linda Guzman Thank you for pointing out neurofeedback. I'm not really familiar with this technology although I know a bit about EEG and it's use (it's something quite funny to hack with). Could you elaborate in a few words how neurofeedback can help with exhaustion? Particularly I would be interested to know about help with executive functions (planning and so on).

Pierre-Yves Gicquel RE: "I think you've some stereotype about French"

For sure. But just because stereotypes aren't universally true doesn't mean they are totally wrong or not statistically significant. The stereotype was actually verbally imparted to me by my high school French teacher, who believed it himself and also claimed that, in his day, middle-school or even younger children were regularly given watered-down vin ordinaire in preference to juices and soft drinks (which probably had the positive result — another stereotype? — that binge drinking among the young doesn't exist in France.)

• https://www.nationmaster.com/nmx/ranking/wine-consumption-per-capita
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/27/the-french-must-drink-less-wine-say-health-officials

Anyway the stereotype is admittedly on a downward trend 😌:

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/434726/wine-consumption-in-france-per-person/

I admit overdoing cider, but in the same kind of overdoing most European are overdoing their habit since first lock down. There has been multiple reports on the increase in drug and alcohol consumption since first lock down, here in France we are at the end of the 3 one so cider isn't such a bad idea.

More seriously @albena I think the cause of exhaustion might be a "simple" neurotransmitters in balance. As for me, this exhaustion as some quite similar features than depression (hypersomomnia, anxiety, fatigue, drastic loss of self confidence...). Since depression is, admittedly, caused by problem in the dopamine /serotonin reward circuit, something similar to depression might be caused by something similar.

Article Pilot Study Using Neurofeedback as a Tool to Reduce Surgical...

This may be of interest.... Surgical residents who experienced burnout, e.g., cognitive challenges due to the stressful and exhausting nature of their work, improved cognitive abilities as a result of neurofeedback.

@ Pierre-Yves Gicquel

Let me recommend the following question in this regard, also in RG, sincere thanks:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Do_we_already_know_what_pandemic_fatigue_is

Could be loss of steam or excitement for the research or that you are taking too many things in or up at the same time. I experience it especially when I am writing the introduction of a research article, where so many articles are placed before me to review, sift and re-present to avoid plagiarism. However, it is often for while. I rest usually from that line of research or work and take frequently to music.

This is happened and just you need to do some refreshments for yourself from time to time like doing sports, making a small trip , doing fishing…etc.

Vadim S. Gorshkov

Maurice Ekpenyong Thank you for sharing your experience, music seems a good idea actually.

Aref Wazwaz That's fair, I tend to not see the light of day stuck on computer :) Going outside is reliving

@Vadim I don't think business is in any way commensurable to human life in general. I used the term "personal investment" because it has became quite ubiquitous but it's actually quite a flawed term.

I disagree strongly with your statement "If a person does not help himself, no one will help" and with your unexpressed assumption that there would be a sort of maximization function to pursue in life. Person actually help each others all the time for the simple reason that it's rooted in human biology :

"“The mutual-aid tendency in man has so remote an origin, and is so deeply interwoven with all the past evolution of the human race, that is has been maintained by mankind up to the present time, notwithstanding all vicissitudes of history.”

Capitalism and business are short term vicissitudes to that extent

Vadim S. Gorshkov

Stating that problems happen because of person not doing his own thing is placing all responsibility at individual level and its not an adequate way to make anything change. If problem is because individuals are flawed then too bad for them.

You say that it has nothing to do with capitalism but it's the core of capitalistic conception of ethic. Based on this screwed protestant view of personal salvation through work. See "protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism" from Weber.

Also I don't get your point about good baker and bad chimist and one being more important than the other. The bad chimist will be more important than the baker with respect to his family and friends. It's confused.

Researcher burnout could be taking a toll on you. Psychological effects of covid 19 pandemic could have a role remotely. I suggest you consider sufficient rest time and if possible a short holiday break.

A break is a must under such circumstances or otherwise you can switch over to some other activities like listening to music for a while will refresh you or you can do some trivial activities which don't require much application cognition.

Shrikaant Kulkarni Teresa Ochieng Thank you for suggesting a break, this was actually exactly what I needed although being too much focused on short term objectives to realize it. Short terms obligation can't be fulfilled well when in state of cognitive exhaustion but they remain in the back of one's head, creating a sense of guilt that prevent actual rest. This is clearly a vicious circle because it can last quite long, maintaining exhaustion with tiny times of rest that won't help much.

Thank you Aref Wazwaz , Maurice Ekpenyong , Alexander Gibson , Juana Maria Arcelus-Ulibarrena , Bhaweshwar Singh for your responses and advices!

I'm certainly not the first researcher to experiment this issue and I hope fellow researchers with similar issues will find guidance in your answers if they read this thread.

You are most welcome dear Pierre-Yves Gicquel . Wish you the best always.