Vladimir Putin.

Have a sandwich.

I'm Angela Duckworth.

I'm Stephen Dubner.

And you're listening to No Stupid Questions.

Today on the show, can you train your brain to focus for a longer period of time?

I used every single ounce of my physical and mental energy, and I have nothing left.

Angela, you and I have both read a new working paper by four economists, Christina Brown,

Supri Kaur, Gita Kingden, and Heather Schofield about what's called cognitive endurance, which

was a phrase that captured my attention.

Oh, good phrase, yeah.

It's a very good phrase.

Is there a generally accepted definition of that in the academic or psychological realm?

They define it as quote, the ability to sustain effortful mental activity over a continuous

stretch of time.

The paper makes two primary arguments, one that students from low income backgrounds exhibit

what is called cognitive fatigue more quickly than high income students, but point two,

cognitive endurance is essentially, as I understand, at least a muscle that anyone can build

up.

So because cognitive endurance sounds to me, at least, a lot like grit, I wanted to hear

what you have to say about this research, what it means for anyone who would like to increase

their own cognitive endurance, whether in an educational setting or otherwise.

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