Editorial

Abstract

Have you ever noticed that you are often drawn to engaging in difficult, complicated tasks? You may remember at least one situation where you started doing something that required significant effort and yet persisted without giving up. You could have easily said, ”This is too hard,” but you persevered until you succeeded. What makes us choose difficult tasks over easy ones? Behavioral economists often discuss mental effort in economic terms. There's even a theory known as the “law of least effort.” This theory encompasses two important concepts. First, people engage in mental effort as a means to get something for themselves. Remember the times when you stayed up late at night to study for an exam, even if it was an unpleasant experience, you still did it because you needed a good result. Second, both behavioral economists and cognitive psychologists agree that mental effort comes at a cost.