Harvard professor, Atlantic columnist, social scientist specializing in happiness, speaker, former French hornist
We humans have a funny tendency to value what we are doing in terms of what people are giving us to do it. If someone pays us, it must be onerous—otherwise, they wouldn’t need to. That’s why the satisfaction in the experiments falls when the scientists introduce compensation.
I am big on doing your personal best.. leaving people and places better than you found them. If you want the best the world has to offer, offer the world your best.
It was an epiphany for me when I studied motivation to understand the power (and benefits) of intrinsic vs extrinsic.
Krishnan CA
4d
Thanks, Arthur! Fascinating point about money and task satisfaction. Reminds me of the 'Candle Problem' study.
Isn’t this another example of the “market norms” vs “social norms” dichotomy?
Tom Asacker
4d
Your conscious choice of words in that image are quite revealing.
Kassi Ydris
4d
Reading two of your books at the moment. Love your work. ❤️ 🕊🙏🩵. Thank you, Sir-- 💙 for "From Strength 💪 to strength 💪" and "Build the life you want".God bless you, Arthur C. Brooks.
Crystal Ng
2d
Chasing intrinsic goals gives our efforts lasting significance.
Go do it for fun. Have a blast. Go for it. Start. Arthur C. Brooks
Andy Gupta
4d
Arthur C. Brooks terrific insight. This can also kill motivation to experiment with ideas and methods for feeling content and happy in life
LinkedIn Top Voice • Speaker • Wellbeing Advisor and Advocate • Stage IV Cancer Thriver • Auntie • Dancer • Ex: Booz, Time Warner, NBCUniversal • Alum: Harvard, Stanford GSB • Empowering others to flourish in work & life
4dSo strongly agree with this I actually wrote my senior thesis about this “overjustification effect” and how it can be intensified further by our competitive cultures in work and school (I was at Harvard). And that was in 1997 before social media and our hyper-focus on everyone else’s highlight reels intensified in the way we now know. Appreciate all you do to remind us what’s important - and to go onward to find it - and wish I’d been able to study with you all those years ago!