How the Promise of a Reward Can Often Lead to Decreased Motivation

In a recent episode of the AsapSCIENCE whiteboard series, Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown explain the concept of motivation and how the promise of a reward can often decrease motivation thus sabotage one’s goals.

This is known as the ‘distraction effect’ – when we are given a task that requires problem solving, economic or emotional pressure can cause focus to shift to the motivator, ultimately dividing your attention and reducing performance.