Tara Moore Mentally challenging tasks may offer several health benefits, such as helping to maintain a healthy brain, but if given the choice, some people prefer holding a scalding hot object against their skin. This according to the findings of a new study published in eLife, where participants could choose between subjecting themselves to uncomfortable thermal pain or completing a memory task. "Cognitive effort is described as aversive, and people will generally avoid it when possible," wrote the authors. Study lead author Todd Vogel, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada also told