Coined by sociologist Monique Haicault in 1984 and massively popularized by illustrator Emma in 2017, the concept of " mental load" now has its derived notions: we speak of " contraceptive load" to evoke the fact that the prevention of unwanted pregnancies relies mainly on women or " emotional load" to express the overexposure of women to the emotional demands of those around them (family, professional, neighbourhood, etc.). In terms of " cognitive loads ", we are also increasingly talking about " ecological load".

But what exactly is it? The editorial staff of the EVE web magazine takes a closer look at the concept.

A quick reminder about " cognitive loads"

Not to be confused with household chores

" Cognitive loads " are often confused with domestic tasks. But it's not quite the same thing.

Domestic  tasks represent a set of actions to be carried out to ensure the maintenance of a home and the smooth running of family life: they are " household chores " (tidying up and cleaning, laundry care, etc.), shopping, preparing meals, caring for children and the actions necessary to monitor their health and their schooling as well as everything related to their extracurricular activities, the management of administrative procedures, interior work (DIY, small plumbing, painting, etc.) and outdoor work (gardening, pruning, etc.).

These different tasks can be organised, planned, delegated (within households or to external stakeholders) and counted in time spent performing them.

And one day, you became the " manager " of the family's laundry department

Cognitive loads are characterized by de facto responsibility for the smooth running of the household's affairs. Thus, even if you fully delegate certain tasks, for example, laundry care, you can remain " head of laundry " and it is up to you to make all the arrangements for it to be washed, ironed, folded and stored. You will therefore have to " manage " the person who carries out the various actions of this process, you will be responsible for recruiting them and carrying out the necessary steps for their remuneration, giving them instructions and feedback, accepting their requests and managing the situation if for one reason or another they cannot fulfill their mission. You will need to make sure that the person you have delegated has everything they need to work (buy detergent, remove the iron, etc.) and that everyone puts their dirty socks, sports clothes (so that they are ready for Wednesday) and shirts (so that they have enough on hand in preparation for a trip).

And if there are reasons for dissatisfaction, it is to you that we will turn: " I can't find my green polo shirt. Do you know where the cleaning lady put it? ", " My yellow sweater has shrunk. It looks s***", " I don't like the smell of the new detergent. I'm not saying it against you, but I'm saying it anyway ." In short, you are accountable for the good execution and quality of the linen industry, even if you stopped pressing the button on the machine years ago and you assume your complete ignorance about steam generators.

The evil triptych of moral charge

Cognitive loads have three characteristics that make them particularly frustrating for those who wear them:

• They are informal, that is to say that they are not the subject of a contract, a negotiation, an agreement by which an individual has been designated as " responsible" for a dimension of the life of the household. This responsibility is the result of established habits, often in favour, according to sociologist Jean-Claude Kaufmann, of the (unverbalized) feeling that certain things will be " better done " by one or the other. Thus, via the illusion of a form of " household incompetence" on the part of one, the other takes responsibility either for carrying out the tasks themselves or for giving the necessary orders for their proper execution. Typically, send your spouse to do the shopping, but remain in control of what is on the list.

• They are invisible: since they do not necessarily give rise to work that could be counted for the time spent doing it, " moral burdens" are not perceived as an occupation. These are thoughts (" I absolutely have to add this to the shopping list", " Don't forget the vaccine booster for the youngest ") and micro-actions inserted into everyday life (using your break at work to make an appointment with the dentist for the teenager – and for the whole family, while you're at it –, call the CAF back on the way home, orchestrate everyone's agenda for the week on Sunday evening while helping with homework...)

• They are debtors: no one will congratulate you for having thought to post the letter for the tax authorities, for having had the reflex when you arrived at the checkout to go back to get toothpaste or for being the magic elf thanks to which there is always toilet paper in the offices, duplicate copies in reserve the day before the exams and a holiday destination suitable for the elderly when you take the grandparents. But if something goes wrong, it's with you that the shortcomings are pointed out: " Hey, we don't have a PQ anymore? ", " But mom, you know that the math teacher, he wants small square copies", " Didn't you think that a house with stairs everywhere wouldn't be right for my mother ? ".

It doesn't seem like much, but it wears you out...

These three characteristics of " cognitive loads " have three major consequences on the physical and mental health of individuals who put up with them in excess :

• Cognitive loads are an important source of feelings of inadequacy and guilt: the more things we have to think, the more likely we are to forget... And we quickly feel useless, overwhelmed and not up to the task of meeting the needs of those we love.

• Cognitive loads are causes of fatigue and somatic disorders: we are awake at night because we remember that we have to think about this or that ; we lose the quality of concentration at work because we are disturbed in our occupations by a reminder of family obligations; We stress because we worry about whether the person to whom we have delegated a task will have all the necessary means to carry it out.

• Cognitive loads are the source of tensions, often unspoken until the cup overflows. Without warning, one day, we shout " But I'm not the boss of PQ in this barracks ! F*** yourselves, in the end !" 

The environmental burden, from the ecology of small gestures to eco-anxiety

When ecology invites itself into domestic chores

The denunciation of the environmental burden begins with a questioning of the gendered distribution of what is called the " ecology of small gestures ". Everyone can act at the heart of their daily lives to reduce their environmental impact: sorting and recycling waste, use of cleaning and hygiene products that respect the planet, responsible food (purchases of products from " short circuits", seasonal products, bulk, etc.), use of washable diapers for babies, ethical fashion, reduction of energy consumption, Limitation of ordinary digital pollution, preference for public transport for daily journeys...

But who does this " ecology of small gestures " actually weigh on? Who manages the organisation of the three bins needed for sorting ? Who looks for the most eco-friendly detergent in the household products aisle, or even makes homemade laundry detergent thinking of slipping the washing balls into the drum? Who washes reusable diapers (and bodysuits when the waterproofing of the mess leaves something to be desired)?  Who is in charge of dressing the kids who grow up faster than their shadow ? Who takes them from one activity to another on Wednesdays (feeling guilty about taking the car anyway, because it's not necessarily so easy to catch the different buses to various destinations arriving everywhere on time)? 

Because it applies very broadly to domestic tasks (73% of which are still carried out by women in France), the ecology of small gestures is mainly aimed at women who, in addition to being responsible for the good running of the house and the well-being of the family, find themselves with an additional responsibility that all this is done in an eco-compatible way.

Paradox or climate nurse syndrome?

And yet, they want to be more eco-friendly on a daily basis! In 2020, the youtuber Coline created a buzz with her video " I'm tired of being ecological ". She recalls that in her relationship, she was the driving force behind most of the choices presiding over a more sustainable lifestyle: reduction of meat diet, transition to all-organic or almost organic, composting, recycling...

And the influencer reminds us that indeed, environmental concern is statistically expressed more by women than by men. In fact, the latest studies show that eco-anxiety is felt more by women. But now Coline, echoing other women warning about the environmental burden, can't take it anymore. And no longer understands himself. She really wants to act for the environment, it's a fundamental axis in the corpus of her values, but part of her wants to throw in the vegetable towel with the water of polluted oceans!

Is this gap between the high level of women's commitment to the defense of the planet and the fed up with actions to preserve resources and the climate paradoxical? Let us rather see it as a replication of the nurse syndrome in the field of attention paid to future generations. In other words, in the same way that the individual who is heavily invested in " care " and highly sensitive to the emotional needs of others accumulates emotional charge to the point of burning with compassionate fatigue, the individual who makes his or her personal duty to take care of the environment is all the more painfully exhausted because he or she cannot renounce his or her commitment because the morality of the latter is far too deeply rooted in his or her values and in the his sense of belonging to the world.

What remedies for the ecological burden?

Like any cognitive load, it becomes conscious !

What undermines us with the mental load, the emotional load or the environmental load is that they are inscribed in our skulls without warning. No one thinks : " Hey, I'm going to consider that it's up to me to think about this, to be responsible for this, to be required to ensure that " when it comes to the things of family and emotional life. Things are done gradually, the mental load quietly settles in areas of our intimacy that make it difficult to become aware and verbalize.

Indeed, we tell ourselves that we would seem coldly accountable to list everything we try to think of to ensure the well-being of our loved ones. We prefer to put it down to generosity and love, it's still more flattering for our narcissism and for the idea we have of relationships with our loved ones.

In small doses, it's fine, but when it starts to take the lead and give you a lump in the stomach, it's because there's an overload and a risk of cracking. Before getting to that point, it's a good idea to calmly take stock of what you feel responsible for, whether it's because others are actually counting on you or because you're putting pressure on yourself to do it your way !

The environmental burden is shared

There is indeed a certain part of our cognitive loads that stems not so much from the expectations expressed by our surroundings or our context as from our vision of what is good, good and right. And we can put pressure on ourselves without anything being demanded of us. Or much less than we imagine.

Also, sharing the environmental burden with those around you means starting by agreeing on the objectives you set for the household's contribution to environmental challenges. We can thus establish a " common pot" of objectives, on which we are jointly responsible : to think about them, to act, to be accountable. And then, if one or the other wants to go further, it is his or her right, but it is on him/her that the responsibility to think about it and to gather the necessary means for his or her individual actions.

The environmental burden is also shared outside the household. Because if the " ecology of small gestures " sometimes undermines our morale, it is precisely because it makes us dabble in the sum of " small " actions in a " hummingbird " way, in isolation and without necessarily observing results equal to our efforts. Acting also for the environment within an association, a collective, a movement, by making a wider voice heard and by carrying out ambitious actions, helps to make one's ecological work visible, it gives it a political scope (in terms of self-esteem and the feeling of existing, it is not quite the same as a domestic impact) and it gives meaning to what has become " a burden " in the the intimate setting.