Psychologists Confirm Precrastination Cuts Cognitive Load, With 2023 Study Backing Early-Task Urge
Updated
Updated · Silicon Canals · Aug 17
Psychologists Confirm Precrastination Cuts Cognitive Load, With 2023 Study Backing Early-Task Urge
1 articles · Updated · Silicon Canals · Aug 17
Summary
A 2023 lab study found people front-loaded carrying tasks, taking heavier early loads and lighter later ones—evidence that the urge to finish subtasks quickly persists in a grocery-bag-like setup.
That pattern fits the cognitive-load-reduction hypothesis: people accept extra physical effort to clear an unfinished task from working memory sooner, reducing the mental burden of an open loop.
The idea builds on a 2014 bucket experiment in which most participants chose the nearer bucket even though it required a longer carry, and a 2018 follow-up that directly tied the behavior to working-memory relief.
Adding a digit-memorization task in the 2023 experiment pushed participants further toward front-loading, strengthening the case that precrastination is a trade-off between bodily effort and mental effort.
Animal tests have produced mixed results in pigeons, but the broader finding is that precrastination appears to be a widespread, fairly universal tendency rather than a quirk of modern human busyness.