Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

When determining if something worthy of effort, if you may actually exercise yourself or face the possibility of work, change your differentiation and integration account. This is what we found in our new research, published in Experimental Psychology Magazine: General.

When you think about a future effort, more work makes the result less attractive. But once the work is completed, more effort makes the result look more valuable. We also discovered that the hiding behind this general principle of timing there are individual differences in how the future effort and the race form the value of people for the fruits of their work.

What deserves you?

In our experience, the participants gave us a choice between a fixed amount of money and a home component – a cup – they can take them home if they do a degree of physical effort, equivalent to almost walking, three or three trips from the stairs.

This setting allowed us to determine the value that each person is placed in this effort – do you add or put off the value of the element? For example, if he makes more effort personally switching his decision and decided to go with the money instead of the mug, we can say that they appreciate the mug in addition to this amount of effort less than the amount of money.

We also dealt with the time aspect of the voltage. When the voltage was in the future, the participants decided if they wanted to go with money or get a mug of some effort. When the effort was in the past, the participants decided if they wanted to spend in the mug they already gained effort.

We also expected, criticizing the future effort in general of the value of the mug, but the past effort increased it in general.

But these general trends do not tell the entire story. Not everyone responds to effort in the same way. Our study also revealed the amazing individual differences. Four distinctive patterns appeared:

1. For some people, an additional effort always offers value.

2. Others are constantly preferring the elements with more work.

3. Many showed mixed patterns, as the moderate voltage increased the value, but the excessive voltage reduced it.

4. Some have seen the opposite: initially an unjust effort, then finding more value at higher levels.

These variable patterns show that the individual’s relationship with the effort is not simple. For many people, there is a sweet spot – a little effort may make something more valuable, but pushing it away and the value decreases. It is similar to enjoying a 30 -minute exercise, but he fears a two -hour session, or on the contrary, the feeling that the exercise for 5 minutes is not worth changing the clothes for, but a 45 -minute session feels satisfied.

Our paper offers a file Sports model This explains these individual differences by suggesting that your mind is calculated flexible costs and the benefits of effort.

Why violate the “Less Labor Law?”

Why should the timing be important for effort? It seems clear that the cause and nature will teach you to always avoid voltage and his hatred.

The hummingbird, which prefers a difficult flower, may win an easy -to -make alternative to effort, but exhaustion will not last long. The cruel world requires “Resource– The optimal and effective use of limited physical and mental resources, and balance the benefits of procedures with the required effort.

This insight is captured by the classic “Less Labor Law”, and it mainly roams the idea that reward results prefer easier options. Any different thing that seems irrational or, in a clear, stupid language.

If so, how do people come, and Even animalsOften the Award for Things that requires hard work because there is no additional return? Why is it difficult to get a road to value? Anyone worked hard for anything that knows that the investment effort makes the final prize sweeter – whether in love, profession, sports, or IKEA Furniture Association.

Can I answer this?Purifying voltage“Whether it is in the example of the hummingbird, the decision revolves around the future effort, and in IKEA effectThe effort in the past?

Our new results appear to show contrasting phenomena in daily life. In the field of health care, starting the exercise system feels an overwhelming feeling when focusing on the upcoming exercises, but after creating this habit, those exercises themselves become a source of achievement. At work, professionals may avoid learning new difficult skills, but after their mastery, they appreciate their enhanced abilities more because they were united to obtain it.

What is still unknown

Sayings like “No pain, no gain” or “easy to come, easy to go” fill our language and look essential to our culture. But researchers still do not fully understand the reason why some people estimate the stressful options more than others do. Is it physical efficiency, Previous experiencesand Feeling in the senseand Imagine difficulty as importance or impossibilityand Ethics of voltagespecific Cultural beliefs about hard work? We do not know yet.

We are now studying how the voltage is different aspects of the value: cash value; The value of the doctrine of pleasure, as is the case in pleasure that one gets from an element; and Aesthetic valueAs in the meaning of beauty and art. For example, we are investigating how people appreciate the technical line after making a different effort to see it.

This work may shed light on strange cultural phenomena, such as how people appreciate their experience in seeing the Mona Lisa after waiting for hours in the crowd at the Louvre Museum. These studies can also help researchers in designing better motivation systems through education, health care and business.

This article has been republished from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news organization brings you facts and trusted analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Piotr and Winklermanand University of California, San Diego and Przemysław marcowskiand University of California, San Diego

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Piotr Winkielman has received funding for this research from the University of California, San Diego, the Academic Senate.

Prizeysław Marcowski has received funding for this research from the National Center of Poland.