Don’t fall in hype: you’re not the type to motivate you

So, what is your motivation type? Are you a “reward”, “connector”, or “achiever”? Or do you like labels like ENTP or INTJ?Myers Briggs) or perhaps you are calling yourself a “lovers” or a “loyalist”? Regardless of the label, these terms suggest that you have a motivational style you like. Many people use these labels to understand their actions and make decisions about how and where they can thrive. However, this approach can be misleading.

Labeling yourself or others based on the results of a quiz is similar to relying on stereotypes. These labels are inaccurate because motivation is often contextual and frequently changing. More importantly, labeling doesn’t take into account what is necessary to optimize your brain’s mechanisms and learning. Productivityand motivation.

False dichotomy of motivation

For decades, psychology research has taught us that there are two types of motivation. Essential (do something for essentially fun) and extrinsic (do something for external rewards) (Deci & Ryan, 2000). When we express our passion and enthusiasm for our goals, we show an essential elevation of motivation. vice versa, Exogenous Motivation It is usually driven by external forces pursuing payoffs or incentives. Although essential motivation can boost performance, this explanation is often exaggerated and generalized. Neuroscience Breakthroughs challenge these long-standing beliefs.

The distinction between endogenous and exogenous motivations govern productivity advice and workplace management strategy. We are said to have excellent intrinsic motivation and that external rewards can undermine our natural enthusiasm. However, in reality, in certain circumstances, rewards achieve better results than powerful internal drives and passions (Cerasoli et al., 2014). Recent neurological findings suggest that dichotomy is primarily theoretical. Luria et al. can be very concise to explain what appears to be vague on the surface. (2021) found that motivation type has little to do with reward effectiveness. Instead, what matters is how our brains handle the reward itself.

What your brain actually cares about

Neuroscience revealed that both essential and exogenous rewards activate many of the same brain regions within the neural reward system (Lee, 2016). This pattern of shared neural activation suggests that your brain does not fundamentally distinguish between sources of reward. Dopamine It raises the urge to pursue a goal. When your brain realizes that it is potentially beneficial by working towards activity and goals, it releases more dopamine and makes you more involved in reaching your desired outcome. As Schultz (2015) appropriately stated, “rewards are defined not by physical properties but by the behavioral responses they elicited.”

The true key to motivation: perceived control

Given that both reward types activate similar neural pathways, what is actually important for motivation? Answer: Autonomous. Feeling that controls selection enhances the brain’s reward response and increases activity in the brain’s reward pathway (Wang & Delgado, 2019).

Because the effect is so strong, the same brain regions activated by financial rewards are also activated when you feel control. People value so high control that they are even happy to pay a “control premium” to preserve autonomy over the outcome. One study perceives controls to inflate reward values ​​by 30% (Owens et al., 2014).

Apply this knowledge to increase productivity

Rather than obsessing whether your motivation is “passionate” (essential) or “manipulated” (extrinsic), neurologically supportive strategies can improve learning and performance. First, maximize your sense of autonomy. Feeling control over your goals and how you accomplish them will make your brain’s reward system more active. Autonomy increases motivation, learning, and performance (Reeve & Cheon, 2021).

Next, personalize external rewards. External incentives are inherently unmotivated. If exogenous motivation is important to you, rewards are not considered control. Third, the balance between short-term and long-term rewards. We develop reward systems that provide both immediate satisfaction (invigorates strong bursts of dopamine quickly) while making progress towards long-term goals. This helps maintain a stable flow of slow release dopamine for long-term satisfaction.

Finally, reconstruct your perception of your efforts. Inherently motivated activities are fun and don’t feel much effort. Try reconstructing challenging tasks by connecting them to personal values ​​and interests.

Conclusion

Neurological evidence suggests that traditional distinctions between endogenous and exogenous motivations are oversimplified. As Bromberg-Martin and colleagues pointed out, motivational values ​​may be similar regardless of the nature of reward (2010). Your brain doesn’t care about the cause of the theoretical motivation. I care about maximizing reward psychologically and physiologically. Prioritizing autonomy over where rewards come from can improve both motivation and productivity. This approach not only follows traditional psychological theories of motivation, but is consistent with actual neural function in the brain.

Don’t forget that the label belongs cannot a person. These strict categories of motivation do not capture the subtle reality of how our brains behave. Your brain doesn’t check if the reward fits neatly into one theory box or another before deciding to motivate you. Understanding and accepting this neurological reality will help you free yourself from the motivational dogma and design a personalized approach that will truly invigorate your work and life. After all, your brain doesn’t care what we’re calling it. It just wants to feel rewarded on its own terms.