The term “cognitive labor” refers to a type of work that differs from physical labor and emotional labor, but which often intersects with both. Someone who is engaged in cognitive labor is exerting effort on something that is neurologically draining: perhaps not turning a wrench or empathizing with someone on the other end of a transaction, but instead keeping their brains active and on alert, anticipating other people’s needs, figuring out ways to fulfill those needs, making decisions about all sorts of things that are often invisible to other people and thus not celebrated as valuable labor, and monitoring the progress of these various endeavors.
Cognitive Labor
Cognitive Labor
Cognitive Labor
The term “cognitive labor” refers to a type of work that differs from physical labor and emotional labor, but which often intersects with both. Someone who is engaged in cognitive labor is exerting effort on something that is neurologically draining: perhaps not turning a wrench or empathizing with someone on the other end of a transaction, but instead keeping their brains active and on alert, anticipating other people’s needs, figuring out ways to fulfill those needs, making decisions about all sorts of things that are often invisible to other people and thus not celebrated as valuable labor, and monitoring the progress of these various endeavors.