WHEN I first aspired to become a science writer, I imagined each day would be filled with inspiration and creativity. The reality, of course, is far less enjoyable than my fantasies. Researching a story, for example, often involves reading a lot of dry, technical papers before I finally strike gold with the information that I seek.
Most professions, I imagine, include challenging but necessary tasks that sap enthusiasm. But a from Edward Lai at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and his colleagues may offer us all a way to boost our motivation. It is called the 鈥渆asy addendum effect鈥�, and, as the name suggests, it involves ending each work session with a more pleasant task that will be relatively straightforward to complete.
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The strategy was inspired by a phenomenon known as the , which means we often judge events by the way they finish, rather than the overall experience. In one , Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues asked participants to plunge their hands into water at unpleasantly cold temperatures. Some simply held their hands in 14掳C (57掳F) water for 60 seconds, while others were given a further 30 seconds in water at 15掳C (59掳F). Surprisingly, most preferred the second option. It seems their memory of the experiment only focused on the last moments, which was slightly more pleasant in the 90-second set-up. As Shakespeare put it, all鈥檚 well that ends well.
The research on the easy addendum effect suggests that our impressions of work fall prey to the same bias 鈥� and we can use that to our advantage. Lai鈥檚 team gave participants a series of tedious tasks 鈥� from flexing their muscles against heavy weights to sorting books into alphabetical order or answering customer complaints. In each case, participants performed the tasks with or without an 鈥渆asy addendum鈥� tacked to the end of the job. Those testing their strength were given a few extra rounds of lighter weights, for instance, while those answering customer queries tackled some more straightforward requests.
Much like the ice-bath experiments, there was no logical reason why loading on additional work to an existing task should make it more pleasant overall. But the researchers found that the 鈥渆asy addendums鈥� significantly reduced the perceived difficulty and increased participants鈥� satisfaction with their jobs.
Since learning about Lai鈥檚 research, I have tried applying this strategy to my own work. Writing is still my favourite part of the job, and so this column was a pleasant addendum to an otherwise gruelling day of research for another article. By putting these words on the page, I feel far more energised about the work behind me 鈥� and readier to enjoy the evening ahead.
David Robson is an award-winning science writer and the author of The Expectation Effect: How your mindset can transform your life
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