This meta-analysis study notes that although many influential theories in psychology, neuroscience, and economics assume that the exertion of mental effort should feel aversive, this assumption is usually untested, and it is challenged by casual observations and previous studies.
In a review of 170 studies that used the NASA Task Load Index to examine participants’ experiences of effort and negative affect this paper found a strong positive association between mental effort and negative affect.
In aviation this concept might be familiar to us through Daniel Kahneman’s theory of System 1 and System 2 thinking and how we avoid mental effort in the decision-making process. Kahneman argued:
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰.”
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