Title: Optimizing Work-Rest Schedules from Dopamine Dynamics: An ODE-Based Control Approach
Authors: Quang Tran Hong Do Trinh Thanh
Volume: 9
Issue: 10
Pages: 257-263
Publication Date: 2025/10/28
Abstract:
Recently, in cognitive science and organizational research, dopamine has emerged as a key neurotransmitter associated with motivation, reward, and sustained attention. Dopamine has gone beyond mere neurological functions: it affects productivity and performance in educational and occupational contexts. Nearer research has shown that engaged recovery and performing a task affects dopamine levels, and, in turn, determines focus, fatigue, and effective functioning in the task. Most of the psychology and neuroscience literature provides detailed explanations of dopamine, but insights that can be measured and translated into practical time management are limited. This study develops an ODE-based model of dopamine dynamics that integrates a concave productivity function and fatigue penalties to simulate and optimize work-rest schedules, including fixed cycles and threshold (hysteresis) control within a shift. Results indicate that 45-60-minute work bouts paired with 10-15-minute breaks raise average productivity by 12-15% over evenly spaced schedules, while a threshold policy that maintains dopamine around D* ? 0.8 delivers an additional ~8% gain over a 50-10 fixed cycle, underscoring rest as a necessary biochemical "reset." Future work should personalize work-rest schedules using wearable-derived proxies of dopamine (e.g., HR/HRV), implement real-time adaptive control, and validate the model through field experiments across occupations and workload intensities.