In the 1950s, university professor Curt Richter conducted a gruesome experiment[1] with rats to test how long they could tread water.

Richter first took a dozen rats, put them into jars half-filled with water, and watched them drown. The glass jar was very large therefore the mouse can't cling to its sides or jump out of it.

On average they'd give up and sink after 15 minutes.

Then Richter re-experiment but with a twist.

Right before they gave up due to exhaustion, the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes - and put them back in for a second round.

In this second try - how long do you think they lasted?

Remember - they had just swam until failure only a few short minutes ago...

How long do you think?

Another 15 minutes?

10 minutes?

5 minutes?

No!

60 hours (on average)!

That's not an error.

That's right! 60 hours of swimming.

Richter's results showed that removing or "saving" the rats just before drowning allowed those same rats to swim approximately 240x longer the next time they were put in the bucket.

There was a mouse that lasted for about 81 hours.

The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible.

This story is often found in Positive Psychology as a sign of the importance of "hope and optimism".

It's obvious that most people can "do" more when they find encouragement .. and "stop" when they do not have enough appreciation.

Source: Quora.com