With #50, People Get Motivated as They Get Closer to a Goal, I was reminded of my Taco del Mar punch card - it's the one I get the most satisfaction from. I have other cards but they're really just taking up space in my wallet. I think it's ironic that with my Taco del Mar card I get really excited when I earn the $5 reward - and in reality I've spent $5 ten times to earn the $5 reward! However, it is obtainable and I get another card when I redeem my award, so it keeps on giving. In addition, since food is a basic necessity I'm most likely to use it.
#51 - Variable Rewards are Powerful. I get the overall concept of the reward scenario but wasn't totally sold on the author's take. However, I did find an article online that drives it home for web designers, Want to Hook Your Users? In the article, by Nir Eyal, she speaks of desire engines and links it to dopamine: "Humans, like the mice in Skinner’s box, crave predictability and struggle to find patterns, even when none exist. Variability is the brain’s cognitive nemesis and our minds make deduction of cause and effect a priority over other functions like self-control and moderation." Many of the points in Eyal's articles reinforces and correlates to 100 Things.
Maybe I'm simple-minded, but using the terms intrinsic and extrinsic in #54 just didn't stick for me. I get stuck on the definition of the terms rather than focusing on the concept. Livestrong.com (one of my favorite websites) has a great article on the subject, The Difference Between Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation... "If you understand the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, you have a greater probability of motivating yourself or others. Every behavior has a underlying cause, and understanding the cause of behavior and motivating factors is key to changing or improving outcomes. The differences between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators primarily lie within the reason for doing something. In order for you to ultimately change or improve behavior, you have to understand the reason for the behavior." That I get!
One of the pages I dog-eared in this chapter was page 27, #55 People Are Motivated by Progress, Mastery and Control, simply because I wanted to look up Daniel Pink's book, Drive. I watched the video mentioned in the book, The surprising truth about what motivates us" and really enjoyed it. Not only are the illustrations fascinating but they drive home the points that Pink makes and adds humor for the audience to engage and remember. In reference to rewards Pink states in his video, "For simple, straight forward task, if you do this then you get that, they're great. But when a task gets complicated, when it requires some conceptual, creative thinking, they simple do not work. If you want engagement self-directed is better (in the workplace)." Pink's video addresses autonomy, mastery, that we're "purpose maxi-misers" and self-motivated.
Unfortunately the Marshmallow Experiment video is no longer available on youtube due to a copyright infringement issue, but can be found instead at Igniter Media. Love it - you can see the kids struggle on their faces! Gratification delay starts young - so obvious with the red-headed little girl who eats the marshmallow instantly vs. the boy who waits enduringly for the gratification of getting a second marshmallow. Wouldn't it be great if everyone took this test at an early age and we knew what type of person we (or they) were?
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