With today's busy lifestyles and hectic work days, it is very easy to simply skip a meal or grab a snack along the way, but have you ever considered what affect that could have on your decision making? We all know what skipping meals can do for energy levels, but it can also have a dramatic effect on how we process key decisions throughout the days. Missing a meal lowers levels of serotonin, which is a brain chemical that plays a key role in regulating emotions such as anger and aggression.



Although many busy executives forgo working lunches, there might be a good reason to change your daily routine. Decisions are best made on a full stomach, according to researchers at Cambridge University. They concluded that missing meals lowers levels of the brain chemical serotonin which plays a key role in regulating emotions such as aggression. When levels of serotonin are low, it could lead to poor decisions being made, since emotions are more likely to come into play.

Serotonin is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan and plays an important role as a neurotransmitter; it helps control anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, sexuality, appetite and metabolism. Found in red meat, dairy products, nuts, seeds, bananas, tuna, shellfish and soy products, serotonin is often referred to as the ?happy hormone.? With too much serotonin can feel "high", and too little can lead to feelings of depression.

As part of the study, scientists took a group of volunteers and asked them to play a game where they accepted monetary offers from another player. The scientists manipulated seratonin levels to see what the outcome would be. Those with depleted serotonin accepted fair offers, but rejected 80 percent of unfair offers as a way to punish the person who made the offer, even if it meant neither player received any compensation.

This is an interesting study, particulary in fields where negotiation is a key part of performance and emotion needs to be checked at the door. For professions such as attorneys, business executives, and sales people, missing or skipping meals can have significant financial consequences.

So the next time you are pressed for time and skipping breakfast or lunch sounds like a good idea, remember what effect it can have on your decision making. By simply taking 10-15 minutes to grab lunch, you can avoid having your emotions take over.