The prevailing theory is that people find effort aversive, and people avoid aversive things. The Principle of Least Effort. Some recent evidence paints that picture a little differently. Are People Innately Lazy?
The new, improved alternative theory was best articulated by my colleague Guido Gendolla: people are averse to wasting effort, not to effort itself. Or as the lead author Nathalie André put it, effort is a cost, which people are sometimes willing to pay. Effort is more like money than like pain.
This makes sense to me. I will take the most efficient route, even if I have time to spare, unless there is something worth spending the effort on, such as a particular view. Even if I am walking for exercise, I will take a diagonal to shorten a distance.
2 comments:
All forms of play are undertaken for enjoyment (unless, I suppose, you could play undertaken for pay or under duress). And play quickly starts costing effort.
great
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