Who Is Satisfied With Effort?

Abstract

Abstract. The effort required to obtain certain rewards may influence the level of satisfaction with the following reward. Since people differ in beliefs about the availability of willpower resources required to pursue effortful actions, we investigated how willpower beliefs affect the perception of effort and satisfaction with reward. We hypothesized that people with limited willpower beliefs (i.e., believing that exerting effort leads to depletion of their inner resources) will perceive cognitive tasks as more effortful and will be less satisfied with the subsequent reward than those with non-limited beliefs (i.e., believing that exerting effort is invigorating rather than depleting). We tested this hypothesis by manipulating effort with different difficulty levels of the N-back task and measuring participants’ perception of effort expenditure and subjective satisfaction with a reward depending on their willpower beliefs. In accordance with the predictions, we found that those with limited willpower beliefs perceived the task as more effortful than those with non-limited willpower beliefs. Furthermore, when asked to subjectively rate their satisfaction with the reward gained for the task, limited believers rated their satisfaction lower than non-limited believers. These findings suggest that people take their willpower capacities into effort-satisfaction calculations. Results are discussed within the context of other models of effort, and practical implications of the findings are suggested.

A neurometabolic signature in the frontal cortex explains individual differences in effort-based decision-making

“…This research indicates the presence of a trait-level cognitive motivation in the population, characterized by a consistent propensity to undertake and derive pleasure from cognitively demanding tasks. Cognitive effort, typically avoided as aversive, can be intrinsically valued, particularly when linked to rewards (Clay et al, 2022). This is in contrast to individuals with certain psychological or neurological conditions, who demonstrate a diminished willingness to exert cognitive and physical effort (Ang et al, 2023; Horne et al, 2021; Le Bouc et al, 2023; Vinckier et al, 2022; Westbrook et al, 2023).…”