People prefer pain instead of thinking hard

Thinking takes real effort. It requires sustained attention. Scientists have known for some time that focusing your mind consumes considerable metabolic resources. But in our day-to-day lives, we discount the effort needed to pay attention and think because it doesn’t feel as physically strenuous as, say, lifting a 50-pound weight.

Source: To Avoid Thinking Hard, We Will Endure Anything—Even Pain | Psychology Today

Next time you’re in your classroom and the students are struggling with a task, maybe you’ll want to think of this study. In it, participants would rather get zapped with an electric heater instead of completing an intense mental task.