The study explores the idea that individuals tend to choose actions that require less cognitive effort, a principle known as the "law of less work." Six experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis, with participants choosing between actions associated with different levels of cognitive demand. The results consistently showed a bias toward the less demanding option, regardless of the specific task or demand manipulation. This bias was not due to strategic error avoidance, time minimization, or goal achievement maximization, and was not influenced by awareness of the demand manipulation. The findings support the idea that anticipated cognitive demand significantly influences decision-making. The study also examined the role of executive control and individual differences in cognitive efficiency. The results suggest that people tend to avoid cognitive demands, even when not consciously aware of the manipulation. The experiments used various paradigms, including task-switching and mental arithmetic, to test the general applicability of the principle. The results consistently showed a preference for less demanding tasks, indicating that cognitive demand plays a significant role in behavioral decision-making. The study also found that individual differences in cognitive efficiency and task-switching ability influenced the degree of demand avoidance. The findings support the idea that cognitive demand is a key factor in decision-making, and that individuals tend to avoid tasks that require more cognitive effort. The study provides convergent evidence for the role of cognitive demand in decision-making, suggesting that people are motivated to minimize cognitive effort in their choices.The study explores the idea that individuals tend to choose actions that require less cognitive effort, a principle known as the "law of less work." Six experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis, with participants choosing between actions associated with different levels of cognitive demand. The results consistently showed a bias toward the less demanding option, regardless of the specific task or demand manipulation. This bias was not due to strategic error avoidance, time minimization, or goal achievement maximization, and was not influenced by awareness of the demand manipulation. The findings support the idea that anticipated cognitive demand significantly influences decision-making. The study also examined the role of executive control and individual differences in cognitive efficiency. The results suggest that people tend to avoid cognitive demands, even when not consciously aware of the manipulation. The experiments used various paradigms, including task-switching and mental arithmetic, to test the general applicability of the principle. The results consistently showed a preference for less demanding tasks, indicating that cognitive demand plays a significant role in behavioral decision-making. The study also found that individual differences in cognitive efficiency and task-switching ability influenced the degree of demand avoidance. The findings support the idea that cognitive demand is a key factor in decision-making, and that individuals tend to avoid tasks that require more cognitive effort. The study provides convergent evidence for the role of cognitive demand in decision-making, suggesting that people are motivated to minimize cognitive effort in their choices.