Sometimes you may hear a colleague 
or friend complain: "It hurts even to think!" At first, this may seem like an exaggeration. What if they are not overdoing it? A recent study published by the "American Psychological Association" has done research on this topic. According to him, mental effort is associated with unpleasant feelings in a number of situations.
At the center of this study is Dr. Erik Bijleveld from Radboud University. With his long experience, Dr. Bijleveld led the research with a clear question: "Do people like to think?" He found that, in general, people are not prone to mental effort and challenging thoughts.
“Managers often encourage employees and teachers often encourage students to make mental efforts. At first glance, this seems effective: Employees and students often choose activities that require a lot of concentration," noted Dr. Bijleveld. "But our results suggest that people typically dislike mental effort."
The researchers analyzed 170 studies published between 2019 and 2020, with over 4,670 participants. Each of these studies was analyzed to determine how people, in general, perceive such thoughts.
Participants from various fields—health care workers, military personnel, students, even athletes—took part in these studies that spanned 29 different countries. Tasks ranged from learning a new technology to orienting in an unfamiliar environment and practicing golf swings.
A common element in all these studies? Participants consistently reported unpleasant feelings such as stress, irritation, and boredom when engaging in deep mental effort.
What stands out from the research is clear: the greater the mental effort, the more pronounced the dissatisfaction experienced by individuals. Regardless of the task or population group, this remained true in all cases.
However, Dr. Bijleveld highlights a difference. The association between mental effort and unpleasant feelings was significantly more moderate in studies conducted in Asian countries, compared to those in Europe or North America. This may be related to the educational tradition of these countries; students in Asian countries often devote more time to studies, learning to cope with higher levels of mental effort from an early age.
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