"The Batman Effect" The Power of Identity

A group of researchers sought to study the nuances of self-control. They conducted a study with a few dozen kindergarten students and gave them a painfully boring, repetitive task designed to test how long they could last. The children were informed in advance that the task was very dull and that whenever they got too tired of working, they could take a break and goof around.

Before the experiment, the children were divided into three groups.

The first group was told:
“While you work, keep asking yourself, ‘Am I working hard?’”

The second was told:
“While you…