Cognitive conflict is intrinsically rewarding

Cognitive conflict is aversive. This claim is widely accepted, despite its supporting evidence being ambiguous. Here, we show that when participants can freely choose, cognitive conflict is sought after and enjoyed. Across two experiments (N = 100 each), participants first decided the level of cognitive conflict they wanted to experience and then reported their affective state. In both experiments, participants showed a preference for a high level of cognitive conflict, evaluated it as effortful yet enjoyable and linked it to positive emotions. Overall, these findings suggest that cognitive conflict, not effort, is valued and functions as an intrinsic reward, challenging the neuroeconomic approach to cognitive control theories toward a hedonic perspective.