Mom Really Does Know Best

Sometimes it takes a long time to realize it, but we seem to always come around. Mom does really know what's best for us.

Facing a tough decision? Mom was right. Sleep on it.

Sleep not only fine-tunes memory and sharpens learning, but also it facilitates and enhances complex cognitive skills such as decision-making, according to researchers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who have conducted one of the first studies of its kind.

The participants who had slept 12 hours before playing the game drew from decks that gave them the greatest winnings four times more often than those who did not sleep before playing. Those who slept also better understood the underlying rules of the game.

Psychologists believe rule discovery is an often hidden, yet key, factor that is crucial to making sound decisions.

[ via UMass.Edu]