Batman Effect

Children were given a boring task. Half were asked, "How hard are you working?" The other half were asked to pick a hero — Batman, say — and then asked, "How hard is Batman working?" The second group lasted far longer.

The principle is distance. From inside, a task is felt — the tedium, the itch to quit. From outside, a task is seen — and what is seen can be managed. Adopting a character borrows the outside view. The child stops being the sufferer and becomes the observer of a hero who does not quit.

Adults use this without knowing it. The surgeon who becomes "the surgeon" in the operating theatre. The shy man who is magnificent as the master of ceremonies. A role is a step back from oneself, and a step back is a wider view.

When you must endure, do not ask "Can I do this?" Ask: "How would the person I admire do this?" Then simply do that.