Hard-Easy Effect

The hard-easy effect is a cognitive bias that leads people to not realize the actual difficulty (either hard or easy) of a task that they are attempting. For instance, a person who has never wallpapered a room may view wallpapering a room as a lot easier than it ends up being. On the other end, someone who usually eats fast food may believe cooking a simple meal is an almost insurmountable task and much more difficult than it actually is. This effect generally depends on the person's background and experience as to how they will view a new task.