Climber takes a a brief break on the way to the summit. Photo credit, Dylan Fields.

If you have ever been backpacking you know the problem neuroscientist Mathias Pessiglione and his colleagues are interested in solving–when to take a break.  This subtle question may seem trivial at first, until you realize that this decision-making process affects every one of us, every day, in everything we do, and yet we don’t know how we do it.  Whether you are an athlete or a desk jockey, success in your endeavor hinges on allocating your effort and rest periods optimally.  In the extreme, this decision can be perilous.  High altitude mountain climbers, who operate at the limits of human endurance and physiology in the freezing low-oxygen environment of the world’s highest mountains, manage rests rigorously (even down to taking rest intervals every few paces), but even long-haul truck drivers grapple with this decision as a potential life-or-death matter.