Comment by oxryly1
10 years ago
This is an interesting method of building resiliency -- or anti-fragility -- into a complex system without adding complexity via a system of feedback for each component (or some other such cleverness).
(I.E.: Have an overarching "intense activity" timer or measuring device signal that the system is likely to suffer breakdown... just because it probably will.)
The key intelligence here comes from the fact that the human fatigue system evolved alongside the human organism, and thus has millions of years of results built in. As a result it's fairly accurate.
I suspect it has been around quite a while in evolutionary terms, and isn't just in humans. All animals need to be careful that they don't overheat, go without water, break a bone, etc. (However if another animal is chasing you, it makes sense to turn off the inhibiting signal). The brain regions involved are common to many animals AFAIK.