Murat Celebi
1
,
Ugur Ozer
2
,
Gulsen Tosun Tunc
3
1
Department of Physical Education and Sport, Bartın University, Bartın, 74100, Türkiye
2
Department of Coaching Education, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Burdur, 15030, Türkiye
3
Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Aksaray University, Aksaray, 68100, Türkiye
Abstract
This study aims to examine the relationship between brain fog and innovative work behavior among employees in municipal sports services. The research was conducted using a quantitative and cross-sectional design, and data obtained from 156 participants were analyzed. Relationships between variables were assessed using Pearson correlation analysis, while differences according to demographic variables were evaluated using independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings indicate a significant and negative relationship between brain fog and innovative work behavior (r = -0.576; p < 0.05). This relationship was found to be more pronounced in the implementation and output dimensions of innovative behavior. In addition, physical activity level was found to be positively associated with innovative behavior and negatively associated with brain fog. Demographic findings revealed that younger employees exhibited higher levels of brain fog. The results suggest that cognitive fatigue and reduced attention directly limit the implementation stages of innovative behavior. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that innovative work behavior is not only associated with organizational and motivational factors but also closely related to cognitive performance and cognitive well-being.
Keywords
Brain Fog,Innovative Work Behavior,Cognitive Performance,Local Government,Sports Service Employees
How to Cite
Celebi, M., Ozer, U., & Tosun Tunc, G. (2026). Cognitive performance and innovative behavior: A brain fog perspective in local government sports service employees. International Journal of Eurasia Social Sciences, 17(63), 416–426. https://doi.org/10.70736/ijoess.2263
📄Aghajani Mir, M. (2023). Brain fog: A narrative review of the most common mysterious cognitive disorder in COVID-19. Molecular Neurobiology, 61, 9915–9926. [Crossref]
📄Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 3(5), 553–567. [Crossref]
📄Anderson, N., Potočnik, K., & Zhou, J. (2014). Innovation and creativity in organizations: A state-of-the-science review, prospective commentary, and guiding framework. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1297–1333. [Crossref]
📄Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1986(23-28), 2.
📄Baş, M., Kahriman, M., Gencalp, C., Köseoğlu, S. K., & Hajhamidiasl, L. (2024). Adaptation and validation of the Turkish version of the Brain Fog Scale. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), Article 774. [Crossref]
📄Benedek, M., & Fink, A. (2019). Toward a neurocognitive framework of creative cognition: The role of memory, attention, and cognitive control. Current opinion in behavioral sciences, 27, 116-122. [Crossref]
📄Ceban, F., Ling, S., Lui, L. M., Lee, Y., Gill, H., Teopiz, K. M., ... et al. (2022). Fatigue and cognitive impairment in Post-COVID-19 Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 101, 93-135. [Crossref]
📄Davis, H. E., Assaf, G. S., McCorkell, L., Wei, H., Low, R. J., Re’em, Y., & Akrami, A. (2021). Characterizing long COVID in an international cohort: 7 months of symptoms and their impact. EClinicalMedicine, 38, Article 101019. [Crossref]
📄Davis, H. E., McCorkell, L., Vogel, J. M., & Topol, E. J. (2023). Long COVID: Major findings, mechanisms and recommendations. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 21(3), 133-146. [Crossref]
📄De Vries, H., Bekkers, V., & Tummers, L. (2016). Innovation in the public sector: A systematic review and future research agenda. Public Administration, 94(1), 146–166. [Crossref]
📄Debowska, A., Boduszek, D., Ochman, M., Hrapkowicz, T., Gawęda, M., Pondel, A., & Horeczy, B. (2024). Brain Fog Scale (BFS): Scale development and validation. Personality and Individual Differences, 216, Article 112427. [Crossref]
📄Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands–resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. [Crossref]
📄Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168. [Crossref]
📄Firth, J., Torous, J., Stubbs, B., Firth, J. A., Rosenbaum, S., Sarris, J., & Yung, A. R. (2019). The “online brain”: How the Internet may be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry, 18(2), 119–129. [Crossref]
📄Gradisar, M., Wolfson, A. R., Harvey, A. G., Hale, L., Rosenberg, R., & Czeisler, C. A. (2013). The sleep and technology use of Americans: Findings from the National Sleep Foundation’s 2011 Sleep in America poll. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(12), 1291–1299. [Crossref]
📄Griffin, M. A., Neal, A., & Parker, S. K. (2007). A new model of work role performance: Positive behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts. Academy of Management Journal, 50(2), 327–347. [Crossref]
📄Halbesleben, J. R., Neveu, J. P., Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., & Westman, M. (2014). Getting to the “COR” after 25 years: A review and synthesis of conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334–1364. [Crossref]
📄Handiman, U. T., & Adam, D. (2024). Innovation work behavior in the digital era: A systematic literature review. Ultima Management: Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen, 16(2), 319–342. [Crossref]
📄Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. [Crossref]
📄Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J. P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 103-128. [Crossref]
📄Howitt, D., & Cramer, D. (2011). Introduction to SPSS statistics in psychology: For version 19 and earlier (5th ed.). Pearson Education.
📄Iwasaki, Y., MacKay, K., & Mactavish, J. (2005). Gender-based analyses of coping with stress among professional managers: Leisure coping and non-leisure coping. Journal of Leisure Research, 37(1), 1–28. [Crossref]
📄Lind, D. A., Marchal, W. G., & Wathen, S. A. (2006). Basic statistics for business and economics (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
📄Liu, L., Su, Y., & Wang, Z. (2025). When threats become catalysts: cognitive job crafting, work meaningfulness, and employee proactivity in high-insecurity contexts. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1513461. [Crossref]
📄Lukes, M. & Stephen, U. (2017). Measuring employee innovation: A review of existing scales and the development of the innovative behavior and innovation support inventories across cultures. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research, 23(1), 136-158. [Crossref]
📄McKillup, S. (2012). Statistics explained: An introductory guide for life scientists (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
📄McWhirter, L., Smyth, H., Hoeritzauer, I., Couturier, A., Stone, J., & Carson, A. J. (2023). What is brain fog? Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 94(4), 321–325. [Crossref]
📄Newman, A., Obschonka, M., Schwarz, S., Cohen, M., & Nielsen, I. (2018). Entrepreneurial self-efficacy: A systematic review of the literature on its theoretical foundations, measurement, antecedents, and outcomes, and an agenda for future research. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 403–419. [Crossref]
📄Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
📄Ocon, A. J. (2013). Caught in the thickness of brain fog: Exploring the cognitive symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Frontiers in Physiology, 4, Article 63. [Crossref]
📄Pala, O., & Turan, N. (2020). Yenilikçi davranış ölçeğinin (YDÖ) Türkiye’ye uyarlama çalışması. Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 20(3), 65–80. [Crossref]
📄Redifer, J. L., Bae, C. L., & DeBusk-Lane, M. (2021). Impacts of self-efficacy and feedback on cognitive load and creative performance. Learning and Instruction, 71, 101395. [Crossref]
📄Samuels, M. H., & Bernstein, L. J. (2022). Brain fog in hypothyroidism: What is it, how is it measured, and what can be done about it. Thyroid, 32(7), 752–763. [Crossref]
📄Satterstrom, P., Jung, O. S., Dementyev, F., Danehey, M., & Singer, S. J. (2025). The dynamic and multisource nature of support for frontline-led innovation teams. Medical Care Research and Review, 10775587251377322. [Crossref]
📄Sonnentag, S., Cheng, B. H., & Parker, S. L. (2022). Recovery from work: Advancing the field toward the future. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 9, 33–60. [Crossref]
📄Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson Education.
📄Vasilopoulos, F., Jeffrey, H., Wu, Y., & Dumontheil, I. (2023). Multi-level meta-analysis of physical activity interventions during childhood: Effects of physical activity on cognition and academic achievement. Educational Psychology Review, 35(2), Article 59. [Crossref]
📄Wilcox, R. R. (2012). Modern statistics for the social and behavioral sciences: A practical introduction. Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.
📄Yeo, G. B., Hayes, A. F., Carter, N. T., & Newman, D. A. (2024). A neurocognitive framework of attention and creativity: Maximizing usefulness and novelty via directed and undirected pathways. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 180, 104259. [Crossref]
,
Ugur Ozer
2
