Graphic by Karina Wu ’23
BY ZOE GREENBERG ’23
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), American college students are among the most stressed people in the world. While Mount Holyoke makes an active effort to alleviate students’ stress with its wellness program, a change in students’ mindsets is necessary for these services to be effective. Throughout my educational experience, I’ve encountered classmates who equate stress and time spent studying with success, and see self-care and taking study breaks as a shameful indulgence. However, taking regular study breaks during the day can actually aid productivity and should be a habit college students are unashamed to practice.
Having strong willpower and self-control is essential for decision making and avoiding procrastination. Yet, ironically, willpower and decision making abilities weaken when exercised without pause. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in 2011, which examined Israeli judges’ rulings in criminal hearings, found that judges gave more lenient sentences in the morning and after breaks than they did during other parts of the day.
According to a study published in Cognition in 2011, attention, like decision-making, becomes more difficult to sustain the longer a person works without taking a break. If you study for a test for 10 hours straight, you may not retain all of the information as effectively as you would if you had added breaks into your study session.
Breaks can also be beneficial for tasks that require creativity, such as writing. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2014, going for a walk led to more creativity in those observed.
While breaks can be beneficial, it is important to note that the duration of your break and how you spend it matters. You shouldn’t, for instance, take a day-long “break” if you have a big paper due the next day. College is about finding a good work-life balance.
One popular study method is the Pomodoro Technique, in which a person studies for 25 minutes, takes a five to 10-minute break and earns a 30-minute break after a few study blocks.
For smaller breaks, quick activities like taking a walk or having a brief conversation with a friend are helpful, while longer breaks allow for more time consuming activities like applying a face mask or attending a drop-in Fitness Center class.