Choosing the Path of More Resistance: The Rise of “Friction-Maxxing”

I need to read this research paper. Do I:

(a)     Ask ChatGPT to tell me what it says, or

(b)    Read it myself.

Which one do you think is better for the brain?

Resisting the urge to rely on technology for convenience, building tolerance for discomfort and choosing meaningful human experiences is the new trend, called ‘friction-maxxing’. Coined by columnist Kathryn Jezer-Morton in an article for The Cut (Jezer-Morton, 2026), it has now hit the mainstream hard, with coverage from the BBC (Pattillo, 2026), The Guardian (Heritage, 2026), Forbes (Young, 2023), and, of course, Reddit!

It’s that little internal discussion you have when you are deciding on what to do next and how to do it.

·      You need to get somewhere: you could rely on your spatial awareness and road signs, or use Google Maps.

·      You feel lonely: you could go out and join a community, or you could talk to people online.

·      You have free time: you could read a difficult book, paint, go for a walk, or you doomscroll your social media of choice.

·      You need to write an email: you could do it yourself, or you could use ChatGPT!

Technology often appears to be the most convenient, time-efficient and emotionally protective option. But could this come at a cognitive cost?

Why would you choose the path of more resistance?

Critical Thinking

Outsourcing cognitive tasks to external aids, known as cognitive offloading, can be efficient and preserve mental resources (Risko & Gilbert, 2016). However, greater reliance on external tools may reduce how often we engage our own internal memory and reasoning processes  (Sparrow et al., 2011). This concern becomes particularly relevant in the context of AI, where increased usage has been found to correlate with lower critical thinking scores (Gerlich, 2025).

Critical thinking is needed to analyse, synthesise and evaluate information (Sparrow et al., 2011). When we outsource this key skill, we may miss opportunities to strengthen effective decision-making, problem-solving, and communication skills (Young, 2023).

Attention

There is also growing concern about how constant digital stimulation may affect attention (Pattillo, 2026). A meta-analysis found increased attentional difficulties associated with higher media use, as well as links with symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Nikkelen et al., 2014). While much of this research focuses on children and adolescents, similar associations have been observed across age groups  (Schou Andreassen et al., 2016).

Creativity

When our attention is constantly captured by external stimuli, the brain’s default mode network (DMN) is less active. The DMN is a set of regions associated with internal reflection, mind-wandering, creativity and idea generation (Luchini et al., 2025). However, as the DMN is also involved in self-referential thinking, and when these internal thoughts become negative, technology can understandably serve as a form of distraction or escape.

The relationship between technology and cognition, therefore, is not straightforward. A study examining technology use and creativity found that heavy users were not objectively worse at generating ideas, although they tended to rate their own creativity lower (Müller & Montag, 2024). This suggests that technology may affect confidence in creativity more than creativity itself.

Social

Technology also plays an important social role. Some studies suggest excessive digital engagement may be associated with lower emotional intelligence (Limone & Toto, 2022), yet for many people, technology provides a vital social connection. In fact, research on digital detoxes has found that disconnecting can sometimes increase feelings of loneliness and negatively impact well-being (Radtke et al., 2022).

Clearly, our relationship to technology is multidimensional and individualised.

The decision

Is friction-maxxing really a bad thing?

I don’t think so.

If anything, it encourages greater awareness around the small decisions we make every day, moments where we can choose convenience or choose to engage our minds more actively. This trend reminds us that we still have agency.

Choosing the easier option does not make you a failure; humans are evolutionarily wired to conserve effort and take the path of least resistance (Hagura et al., 2017). But when we have the time, capacity, and privilege to choose otherwise, occasionally taking the harder route may help us think more deeply, create more authentically, and maintain cognitive engagement.

What do you think about friction-maxxing? Will you implement it?

Sophia

References

Gerlich, M. (2025). AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking. Societies, 15(1), 1–28.

Hagura, N., Haggard, P., & Diedrichsen, J. (2017). Perceptual decisions are biased by the cost to act. eLife, 6, e18422. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.18422

Heritage, S. (2026, January 6). Friction-maxxing: Could less convenience lead to much more happiness? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/06/friction-maxxing-could-less-convenience-lead-to-much-more-happiness

Jezer-Morton, K. (2026). Brooding: In 2026, I Resolve to Friction-Maxx. https://www.thecut.com/article/brooding-friction-maxxing-new-years-2026-resolution.html

Limone, P., & Toto, G. A. (2022). Psychological and Emotional Effects of Digital Technology on Digitods (14-18 Years): A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 938965. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.938965

Luchini, S. A., Volle, E., & Beaty, R. E. (2025). The role of the default mode network in creativity. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 65, 101551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2025.101551

Müller, M., & Montag, C. (2024). Disentangling the Link between Creativity and Technology Use: Individual Differences in Smartphone and Social Media (Over)Use. Journal of Creativity, 34(2), 100081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjoc.2024.100081

Nikkelen, S. W. C., Valkenburg, P. M., Huizinga, M., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). Media use and ADHD-related behaviors in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 50(9), 2228–2241. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037318

Pattillo, A. (2026, March 1). Can ‘friction-maxxing’ fix your focus? BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260227-can-friction-maxxing-fix-your-focus

Radtke, T., Apel, T., Schenkel, K., Keller, J., & von Lindern, E. (2022). Digital detox: An effective solution in the smartphone era? A systematic literature review. Mobile Media & Communication, 10(2), 190–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579211028647

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

Schou Andreassen, C., Billieux, J., Griffiths, M. D., Kuss, D. J., Demetrovics, Z., Mazzoni, E., & Pallesen, S. (2016). The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 30(2), 252–262. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000160

Sparrow, B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. M. (2011). Google effects on memory: Cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science, 333(6043), 776–778. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1207745

Young, R. (2023). The Power Of Critical Thinking: Enhancing Decision-Making And Problem-Solving. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2023/07/28/enhancing-decision-making-and-problem-solving/