GPS to find our way, food delivery with just a few clicks, online shopping, automated payments, personalized recommendations, artificial intelligence to write a text or instantly answer a question… In just a few years, technology has dramatically reduced the number of small efforts required to accomplish everyday tasks.

These advances offer undeniable benefits: they save time, improve accessibility, simplify daily life, and reduce mental load. But they also raise an interesting question: by constantly trying to eliminate effort and inconvenience, are we using some of our cognitive abilities less than before?

This question has given rise to the emerging concept of friction-maxxing: intentionally reintroducing small challenges into everyday life to break out of autopilot mode and engage our attention, memory, critical thinking, and overall awareness.

Although the term is relatively new and is not yet a scientifically validated concept, research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience provides several insights that help explain the potential value of this approach.

Using external tools to reduce the mental effort required to complete a task is nothing new.

Writing a grocery list instead of memorizing every item, using a calendar to remember appointments, or relying on a calculator to perform calculations are all examples of what researchers call cognitive offloading—the use of external tools or actions to reduce the cognitive demands of a task.

Researchers Evan Risko and Sam Gilbert define cognitive offloading as the use of external resources or behaviors that help reduce the mental effort required to perform a task [1].

In itself, cognitive offloading is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it can free up mental resources, allowing us to focus on more important or complex activities.

The question becomes more interesting, however, when this offloading becomes almost automatic.

We no longer need to memorize directions because GPS does it for us. We no longer have to search our memory for information because search engines provide instant answers. And with the rise of generative artificial intelligence, we can now delegate parts of writing, summarizing, and even reasoning itself.

Technology is no longer just a tool that helps us perform tasks—it is increasingly taking over part of our cognitive workload.

Research suggests that our relationship with digital devices may indeed influence our cognitive resources.

A 2017 study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research examined a phenomenon known as "brain drain." Across two experiments, researchers found that simply having a smartphone nearby was associated with reduced cognitive capacity—particularly working memory—even when the device was not in use [2].

The effect was strongest among participants who were more dependent on their smartphones.

These findings do not mean that smartphones "damage the brain." Rather, they suggest that constantly resisting the pull of a device designed to capture our attention may itself consume valuable mental resources.

Simply placing your phone out of sight while reading, studying, working, or having a conversation may therefore be one of the easiest ways to introduce a little "friction" into your daily routine.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) adds a new dimension to this discussion.

A 2025 study published in the journal Societies examined AI use and critical thinking among 666 participants. The researchers found an association between more frequent AI use, greater cognitive offloading, and lower critical thinking scores [3].

However, these findings should be interpreted with caution.

The study relied partly on self-reported data and identified associations, not cause-and-effect relationships. It does not demonstrate that AI use directly reduces reasoning abilities. Research on the long-term cognitive effects of generative AI is still in its early stages.

The real question, then, is probably not whether we should be for or against AI.

Instead, we should ask:

Which tasks do we want to delegate to technology, and which abilities do we want to continue exercising ourselves?

Using AI to verify, expand, or challenge ideas we've already developed is not necessarily the same as relying on it to think on our behalf.

The brain is often compared to a muscle. While the comparison is not biologically exact, it illustrates an important principle: our cognitive abilities are strengthened and maintained through regular use.

Remembering information, solving problems, finding our way, writing, reasoning, staying focused, or tolerating a certain level of difficulty all engage different cognitive processes.

This doesn't mean we should deliberately make every task more complicated.

Rather, the goal is to distinguish between unnecessary friction, which drains our energy without providing real benefits, and beneficial friction, which keeps us mentally engaged and actively involved in everyday life.

Choosing the stairs instead of the elevator, cooking rather than always ordering takeout, trying to navigate before turning on GPS, writing your own thoughts before consulting AI, or shopping in person instead of having everything delivered are all simple ways to keep your brain active and engaged.

Friction-maxxing also shares certain similarities with the practice of mindfulness.

When everything is automated, many actions are performed almost unconsciously. Intentionally adding a small extra step interrupts this automatic behavior, encouraging us to pause, make a conscious decision, and act with greater awareness.

Mindfulness-based interventions have been extensively studied. A meta-analysis of 111 randomized controlled trials involving more than 9,500 participants reported small to moderate improvements in several cognitive domains, including sustained attention, certain executive functions, and working memory accuracy [4].

However, not all studies have reached the same conclusions. An earlier meta-analysis found more modest—and in some cases non-significant—effects on attention and working memory [5].

These findings highlight an important point: science does not support the idea that simply making everyday life more difficult will automatically improve cognitive performance.

However, it does suggest that cultivating greater awareness and preserving opportunities to actively engage our minds may offer meaningful cognitive benefits.

Another interesting aspect is our relationship with effort.

It may seem intuitive to think that the less effort an activity requires, the more satisfying it will be. However, the brain's reward system appears to be more complex.

Experimental research suggests that the effort invested before receiving a reward can influence how that reward is processed and experienced [6].

We intuitively recognize this phenomenon in everyday life: preparing a meal from scratch, completing a challenging hike, finally understanding a difficult concept, or finishing a task we've been putting off often brings a unique sense of satisfaction.

Difficulty, therefore, is not necessarily the enemy of well-being.

When appropriately balanced, it can also strengthen our sense of competence, accomplishment, and autonomy.

This concept also shares some similarities with a well-established principle in psychology: consistently avoiding situations that make us slightly uncomfortable can reinforce avoidance behaviors over time.

Exposure therapy, commonly used to treat certain anxiety disorders, is based on a carefully supervised process in which individuals are gradually exposed to situations they fear in a safe environment. The goal is to reduce avoidance and build confidence in their ability to cope [7].

Friction-maxxing is not a form of exposure therapy and should not be viewed as such. However, both approaches highlight an important idea: always choosing the option that immediately removes discomfort may not be the best way to strengthen our ability to adapt.

Choosing to complete a task in person instead of online, making a phone call rather than sending a message, or tackling a task you've been avoiding can sometimes help restore a sense of competence and self-confidence.

The goal is certainly not to get rid of your GPS, throw away your smartphone, or stop using artificial intelligence.

Instead, the idea is to consciously choose a few situations where technology may be replacing an experience you still value.

For example, you could:

• Put your phone in another room while reading or working.
• Try to recall information from memory before searching for it online.
• Make a grocery list and shop in person whenever possible.
• Walk for short trips instead of always choosing the fastest option.
• Write the first draft of a text before asking AI for help.
• Try solving a problem before looking up the answer.
• Turn off unnecessary notifications.
• Remove distracting apps from your home screen.
• Choose face-to-face conversations whenever possible.
• Keep activities that actively engage your memory, creativity, sense of direction, or problem-solving skills.

The goal isn't perfection.

Instead, ask yourself:

"Is this tool helping me make better use of my abilities, or am I consistently outsourcing a skill I'd like to preserve?"

Not all forms of friction are beneficial.

For someone experiencing exhaustion, significant stress, or living with physical or cognitive limitations, technologies that simplify everyday life can be invaluable tools for maintaining independence and improving quality of life.

There is no virtue in making every task as difficult as possible.

Technology itself is not the problem. GPS can help us explore new places. Apps can free up time for our families. Artificial intelligence can make knowledge more accessible and support creativity.

The real question is how to strike the right balance between technological assistance and active mental engagement.

Friction-maxxing is, above all, a popular concept, and scientific evidence has not yet established direct health benefits associated with it.

However, the question it raises is worth considering.

As our environments become faster, more intuitive, and increasingly automated, it may be helpful to ask not only what technology allows us to gain, but also which experiences we still want to engage in ourselves.

To remember. To search. To wait. To make mistakes. To try again. To write. To navigate. To have a conversation. To solve a problem.

These small everyday challenges may not all be obstacles to eliminate.

Some may instead be opportunities to remain present, curious, and mentally engaged.

In a world where technology constantly offers the easiest path, occasionally choosing the longer one may simply be a way of preserving our ability to find our own way.

Scientific References

1. Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive Offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002
2. Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1086/691462
3. Gerlich, M. (2025). AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking. Societies, 15(1), 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15010006
4. Whitfield, T., et al. (2023). Mindfulness Enhances Cognitive Functioning: A Meta-Analysis of 111 Randomized Controlled Trials. Health Psychology Review. PMID: 37578065.
5. Cásedas, L., et al. (2021). Does Mindfulness-Based Intervention Improve Cognitive Function? A Meta-Analysis of Controlled Studies. Clinical Psychology Review. PMID: 33582570.
6. Ma, Q., et al. (2020). Decomposing the Effort Paradox in Reward Processing: Time Matters. Neuropsychologia. Experimental study examining the influence of effort on reward processing.
7. American Psychological Association – Society of Clinical Psychology. What Is Exposure Therapy? An overview of the principles and scientific evidence supporting exposure therapy.