When people say something is a piece of cake, they’re telling you it’s easy, almost effortless—like taking a bite of your favorite dessert. But what really makes something feel simple or, on the flip side, impossibly hard? Let’s break down the psychology of perceived difficulty.

Cognitive psychologists say that how we perceive a task matters as much as its actual complexity. If you approach a challenge convinced it’ll be straightforward, there’s a better chance you’ll breeze through it. On the other hand, if you expect something to be tough, your brain and body brace for struggle—even if, in reality, the steps are manageable. According to psychologist Dr. Angela Duckworth, our beliefs about whether a challenge is surmountable can directly influence our persistence and problem-solving strategies.

That’s why you’ll hear extreme athletes or entrepreneurs describe incredible feats and then insist it wasn’t as hard as it looked. In a recent interview with climbing legend Sarah Kim, she revealed that scaling a daunting mountain wall became possible only after she broke the journey into tiny, achievable segments. Rather than thinking about the whole climb, she focused on securing her next handhold or making it to the next ledge. For Sarah, the entire journey was made up of dozens of smaller “pieces of cake” stacked in a row.

Business coach Mike Rodriguez shares a similar approach. He encourages clients to list out their large, overwhelming goals, then carve them into smaller actions. Instead of “launch a successful business,” Mike tells aspiring founders to start with, “Set up a business email tomorrow.” Each micro-task is a step closer to the bigger goal, and, as he puts it, that’s when “the impossible starts to look a whole lot easier.”

Neuroscience backs this up. Breaking down tasks reduces anxiety and boosts momentum, making even daunting targets seem more attainable, reports the American Psychological Association.

So the next time you face a challenge, remember: much of the difficulty lives in your perception. If you treat each part as a small bite—something you can handle right now—the entire task starts to go down more smoothly. That’s the true power behind calling something a piece of cake.

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI