Thanks to modern technology, it’s never been easier to write an email, order food, or look up that actor’s name you can’t remember.
However, some are beginning to wonder if the faster and hassle-free way is always the best.
We are not missing out by not being involved in everyday tasks the brain?
There is a possible solution for this very modern problem: maximizing friction or resistance, in English friction-maxxing.
Kathryn Jezer-Morton used the term in January article in The Cut magazine. In it, she argued that reintroducing challenges — like cooking dinner instead of ordering through a delivery service — can help people get used to discomfort again and, as a result, make us more human.
While one could argue that convenience is great most days, experts say that living unobstructed may not be the best for your cognitive function in the long run.
“It’s basically like having a personal trainer lift the weights for you,” said Lila Landowski, a neuroscientist who lectures in biomedical sciences at the University of Tasmania and vice-president of Science and Technology Australia.
We are not talking about any obstacles – if you want to add more frustration to your life, just call the customer service line of any large company – but about tasks that will test you cognitively.
We spoke to three brain and behavior experts to find out how ease and comfort affect the brain, and whether you should try a little more “hurdles.”
Ease, comfort and brains
The main job of the brain is to help us survive, says Landowski. During daily activities, the brain performs a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether a given choice is worthwhile.
Challenges require more energy, so the brain prefers ease over difficulty whenever possible.
The brain also responds to rewards, such as the rush of dopamine that accompanies instant gratification (whether it’s the simple fun of browsing social media or a perfectly written text message from Claude, an artificial intelligence chatbot).
Our modern environment is set up to provide us with these immediate rewards.
“Simple things often make us feel good, and platforms have invested a lot of money in figuring out how to keep us there,” said Emily Falk, a professor of communication, psychology, marketing, computer science and decision-making at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book What We Value.
Over time, living unhindered can be harmful, says brain health researcher Marc Milstein, author of The Age-Proof Brain and podcast host The Best of Your Brain.
This is because brain functions such as learning, memory and focused attention work on the principle of “use it or lose it“.
The brain needs to practice these skills to retain them. If you don’t regularly stimulate your brain to learn, remember or focus, those skills can weaken, he says.
Already evidence from 2011 for example, they suggest that people who use Google to find answers remember less information.
More recent studies confirm that readily available information can influence the ability to learn: in a 2021 study, researchers gave 196 participants a multiple-choice quiz.
Participants who searched for answers using a search engine scored lower than those who did not use the Internet (although participants expressed a similar level of confidence in their results).
These findings suggest that using search engines to retrieve new information may affect the brain’s ability to store information efficiently.
According to Milstein, the same is happening with the rise in popularity of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.
“I hear people say that a few years ago they felt like they had a better memory, which is understandable in a world where we have everything at our fingertips,” Milstein said.
V study from 2025 researchers followed 580 college students, of whom 57 percent used AI daily, while the rest used it several times a week.
They found that more frequent use of artificial intelligence was related with a decrease in critical thinking skillsprobably related to cognitive fatigue – exhaustion of mental resources necessary for complex thinking.
In the next one study from 2025which focused on 666 people of different ages and education, the researcher found that artificial intelligence is related to a decrease in critical thinking skills. Cognitive reliefwhich basically consists in using tools to reduce the cognitive load of working memory, can weaken the ability to think deeply.
Benefits of maximizing friction
As we age, the brain naturally loses connections between brain cells, which can affect memory, attention and the ability to learn new things, Milstein explains.
Taking on tough challenges, such as learning new things, is like investing in a financial account as you get older, he says.
Researches on cognitive reserve theory show that these things cause the brain to make new connections, which increases overall reserve.
“The more you put in, the less you notice the withdrawals,” Milstein said.
The advantage of maximizing friction lies in its potential to create a more meaningful life, not necessarily in enhancing cognitive abilities, Falková believes.
For example, the ease of writing an email with the help of artificial intelligence may make you feel good in the moment — but if you value communication or building social skills, it may not align with your overall goals (and may make your life seem less meaningful), Falk said.
“When we make decisions that seem immediately beneficial, but we don’t look at it with distance and ask whether those decisions are in line with the overall goals and values, we can get into trouble,” she said.
The good news is that even if your brain’s “smooth paths” are already well-trodden, you can take simple steps to replace them.
Adding a reward—like listening to your favorite podcast while you cook—can reduce the sense of effort that comes from cooking instead of ordering food from restaurantssays Falková.
This can help to “train” the brain to repeat the behavior so it becomes a habit.
“When we create routines and environments that work with our brain’s tendency to crave rewards, we can put ourselves in a better position,” she said.
5 ways to use difficulty
Your life doesn’t have to be full of “friction,” but adding “moments of friction” to your day can help maintain healthy brain function over time, according to Milstein.
Want to try maximizing friction? The steps below are a great starting point.
1. Try puzzles and games you’re not good at
Puzzles and games can challenge your brain, but don’t just play the ones you’re good at. If you sudoku it’s easy, try a word game instead.
“You wouldn’t go to the gym and just work out your arms,” Milstein said. “Your brain needs cross-training too.”
2. Learn something new
Learning something new that’s mildly challenging, such as a game, language, or even a new method of exercise, is another proven way to preserve brain function, according to Milstein.
In addition to making new connections in the brain, these challenges promote the release of the hormone noradrenaline, which helps improve focus and promotes learning.
3. Cook the food according to the recipe
Try to prepare a meal at least once or twice a week. Finding a new recipe, shopping for ingredients, and the process of preparing a meal can create meaningful connections in the brain, Milstein says.
To make it a little more difficult, put your phone down while you eat.
4. Meet friends in person
Instead of texting or emailing a friend, call them or schedule a meeting.
You’ll need to remember how to get to where you’re going and details about your friend, Milstein said, while also using social skills that strengthen your brain and your relationship.
5. Don’t look for the answer online
When you’re trying to remember something, don’t look too quickly for an answer. For example, in the store, create “friction” by trying to remember what you need to buy as you move between the shelves.
“Enjoy the feeling of taking time instead of looking it up right away,” Milstein said.
A simple shift in perspective can help accomplish these tasks: Instead of seeing it as a way to add challenges, think of maximizing resistance as aligning your daily choices with your values, which can make your life seem more fulfilling and meaningful.
“People tend to see resistance as something negative, but you can also see it as an intention,” Falková said.
“Resistance can be positive if it makes you take a step back and think about how you want to spend your life.”
