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If spending long days seated at your desk leaves you feeling completely exhausted, scientists might have found the reason behind this phenomenon.
Intense frustration, stress, and even physical discomfort frequently arise when we think deeply, as revealed by a significant new research study.
Consequently, the Dutch researchers who conducted this study emphasize that employers ought to put greater effort into 'acknowledging and assisting' employees when they take on challenging tasks.
Workers in Europe were more likely to experience discomfort, as opposed to their counterparts in Asia, and they also mentioned that these European workers truly disliked exerting mental effort.
As stated by Erik Bijleveld, PhD, from Radboud University, the more significant the exertion, the more discomfort individuals tend to endure. Netherlands The person leading the study said, "When individuals have to put significant mental effort into something, it’s important to ensure they receive proper support or rewards for their efforts."
The research, featured in the journal Psychological Bulletin, encompassed a meta-analysis of 170 studies conducted from 2019 to 2020 with a total participation of 4,670 individuals. This analysis aimed to explore how humans typically perceive mental exertion.
They examined whether mental exertion is linked to negative sensations and if these sensations depend on the specific task or the group of people involved.
The research encompassed a diverse group of participants such as healthcare workers, service members, recreational athletes, and university students from 29 different nations.
Over 350 cognitive tasks were included in the research, encompassing activities like mastering a new technological tool, navigating through an unknown setting, rehearsing golf swings, and engaging in a virtual reality gaming session.
Across all analyzed studies, participants indicated the degree of effort they put forth along with the intensity of negative emotions like frustration, irritation, stress, or annoyance they felt.
Dr. Bijleveld stated, " Managers frequently motivate their employees, just as teachers commonly inspire their students, to put forth cognitive effort."
'Superficially, this appears to function effectively — both employees and students frequently choose tasks that are intellectually demanding.'
'This might make you think that both employees and students find joy in intense thought processes; however, the findings indicate that generally speaking, most individuals actually detest exerting mental energy.'
The more exertion involved, the more discomfort individuals tend to endure.
It's crucial for experts like engineers and teachers to remember this when they're developing tasks, tools, user interfaces, applications, educational resources, or guidelines.
The link between mental exertion and negative emotions appeared weaker in studies carried out in Asian nations as opposed to those performed in Europe or North America.
Dr. Bijleveld proposes that one's response to mental exertion could be influenced by their individual learning background.
Students in high schools across Asia often dedicate more hours to academic tasks compared to those in Europe or North America. As a result, they might become adept at handling greater amounts of mental strain from an earlier age in their educational journey, as mentioned.
Even though certain tasks can be intellectually demanding, many individuals choose to take them on willingly. Employers might find it advantageous to factor this into account, as noted by Dr. Bijleveld.
'For instance, why do countless individuals enjoy playing chess? They might discover that putting mental effort into certain activities tends to result in rewards.'
'If the advantages of playing chess surpass the disadvantages, individuals might opt to play chess and could also express enjoyment in it.'
Still, when individuals opt for tasks requiring significant cognitive exertion, this shouldn’t be interpreted as evidence that they derive pleasure from mental effort itself. It may well be that people engage in cognitively demanding activities even though they find them challenging, rather than due to their inherent appeal.
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