“As you become skilled in a task, its demand for energy
diminishes. Studies of the brain have shown that the pattern of activity
associated with an action changes as skill increases, with fewer brain regions
involved. Talent has similar effects. Highly intelligent individuals need less
effort to solve the same problems, as indicated by both pupil size and brain
activity. A general “law of least effort” applies to cognitive as well as
physical exertion. The law asserts that if there are several ways of achieving
the same goal, people will eventually gravitate to the least demanding course
of action. In the economy of action, effort is a cost, and the acquisition of
skill is driven by the balance of benefits and costs. Laziness is built deep
into our nature.”
