You’ll be more likely to keep up with your running, even when the weather turns cold because you know it makes you feel good (intrinsic motivation). The feeling of running outside gives you an energy boost and helps to clear your mind. But as your fitness levels improve, you start to realise you’re exercising because you love it. This is a switch from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation and means you’ll be more likely to continue cooking healthy meals in the future.Īnother example is starting to exercise because you were told it’s good for mental and physical wellbeing. All of a sudden, you’re no longer cooking healthy food to lose weight, but you’re cooking because you enjoy the process. You might also be enjoying taking lunches into work and sharing your recipes with co-workers. But then you find yourself preparing healthy meals because you love the process of finding new recipes and learning a new skill. However, without even realising it, we sometimes make the switch from being extrinsically to intrinsically motivated.įor example, you may start cooking healthy meals to lose weight. Ultimately, experts agree that both play a role in human behavior and development.This comes down to self-exploration and determining what really matters to you. The interplay between Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation will continue to evoke discussion for years to come. Extrinsic motivation is often a precursor to discover and encourage the development of intrinsic motivation for longer term, sustainable habit change. One of the goals of extrinsic motivation is to shift the external reward to an internal drive so that your inclination to repeat an activity is more natural over time. While you may initially adopt a new activity because of the reward, you may find the satisfaction or joy of the experience is enough to repeat the behavior without the reward in the future. The threat of pain is often enough to prompt you toward action to avoid it and, instead, reap the reward of a more positive outcome. People don’t naturally seek out things that are hard, so having something to entice your desire to push your body mentally or physically can encourage harder activities. Dangling a “carrot” at the end of a new activity can encourage you to fight inertia and move toward something you might not otherwise feel like doing. A tangible reward incentivizes you to try something new or adopt a more productive behavior. Sometimes you need a little push to change your behavior or performance. Be cautious of tangibly rewarding yourself for something you are already naturally motivated to do or your motivation may decrease instead of increase! For example, if you run because you love to run, don’t start rewarding yourself with a treat or you may be less motivated the next time it’s time to run. While intrinsic motivation is powerful, studies suggest it can cause de-motivation when you pair it with an extrinsic motivator, a phenomenon known as the overjustification effect. You need little supervision to complete your work and positive feedback reinforces your natural drive to succeed. Naturally seeking out what you do best is a byproduct of intrinsic motivation and strong performance follows.
Experiencing the positive vibes of a well-organized life that reduces stress and chaos drives you to stick with the things that make you feel good. Personal satisfaction and enjoyment will naturally drive you to repeat a desired behavior.
While there is mixed research on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, experts often cite intrinsic motivation as the more effective way to change behavior or performance.
When comparing intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, each is valuable for understanding why you do what you do and knowing more about how to effectively change behavior if desired. Examples include eating better so that you lose weight or working long hours so that you get a promotion. You might enjoy the task, but the results of your behavior rather than the work itself are the incentives. The desire to earn a reward or avoid punishment drive you. This, on the other hand, is about incentives. Examples include reading because you love stories or exercising because it makes you feel good. You are driven to do it over and over again because it’s personally satisfying and enjoyable. No reward, recognition, or accomplishment is necessary. This is driven by the love of the activity itself. The source of this motivation is either internally or externally driven. In short, it’s about intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation. Have you ever wondered what motivates you? Have you thought about why some habits stick and others don’t? The secret lies in the source of your motivation and what’s known about human behavior.