Effort justification is an idea and paradigm in social psychology stemming from Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance.
The mild-embarrassment condition subjects were asked to read aloud a list of sex-related words such as prostitute or virgin.
All subjects then listened to a recording of a discussion about sexual behavior in animals which was dull and unappealing.
[4] Alessandri, Darcheville & Zentall (2008) argue that the cause for these findings, both in humans and animals, is the contrast effect.
The reward that has the larger difference from its preliminary situation will be preferred since it is experienced as more positive.