title: Monotonous tasks require self-control because they interfere with endogenous reward.
abstract: Self-control is a necessary component of subjective effort, but it depends only on farsighted motivation, with no additional, depletable resource. The aversiveness of boring tasks probably comes from their interference with endogenous reward, a new and potentially controversial concept. The self-control needed to stick with any kind of aversive experience increases as the values of the competing motives draw closer together.
authors.affiliation: School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Coatesville, PA 19320. George.Ainslie@va.gov www.picoeconomics.org.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ainslie
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D008960:Models, Psychological