You Should Avoid Doctors and Judges in the Late Morning

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We already know that judges become considerably more severe in their sentencing as the morning wears on and they get tired and hungry. Today, Susannah Locke passes along a new tidbit of research showing that doctors prescribe more antibiotics as the morning wears on. Why? Probably because they’re making poorer decisions thanks to growing fatigue, or perhaps giving in more easily to patients who are demanding a damn pill even if it won’t do any good.

So here’s your choice. If you want your doctor to do something you think they probably don’t want to do, make an appointment for late morning or late afternoon. There’s a better chance they’ll just give up and give you what you want. On the other hand, if you actually want a proper diagnosis, your best bet is early morning or, in a pinch, right after lunch.

This has been your latest installment of news you can use. I wonder if this advice also applies to bloggers?

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Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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