You do your best to get up in the morning and go to work, but not every day is fun. Sometimes your motivation is gone. Is there something you can do to get motivated? According to Dan Ariely, Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, it is!

In his book “Motivation: Discover the surprising logic behind our personal motives” (2019) Dan Ariely shows how motivation works. He looks for answers to questions such as: What makes you happy? And what makes your job fun? His answers help us to give our lives just that little bit more meaning every day.

Factors for less motivation

Ariely explains that there can be several reasons for being less motivated at work, like: there is a lack of recognition, you feel ignored or you find no purpose in your work.

Research shows that when your work is recognized, you are willing to work harder for less money. And if your work is not recognized, you lose your motivation faster.

Is money the right motivation?

It appears that money, contrary to what many think, is not the greatest motivator. Sometimes it even has a demotivating effect. What motivates you are emotional factors, such as feelings of ownership, having certainty of a long-term relationship and having a sense of joint purpose.

Thus, it appears that a sense of belonging and meaning help you to motivate yourself successfully. 

What motivates you? 

Tags: motivaion
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Ard Van Oosten

I am a psychiatrist trained in business management and researcher. My heart goes out to talent development. I connect knowledge of the brain with leadership and offer tools for personal growth and development.

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