The Science Behind Motivation

Do you ever stop and wonder what motivates you to do stuff?  I know, the question is broad, and these are things that we don’t really think about much.  We think we know ourselves so well, and then when we’re actually asked to put that so called “knowledge” into words to explain to someone else, we have nothing.  After listening to a mental health and mental wellness podcast about this very topic, the little wheels in my head started to turn.  There were so many questions about motivation that I couldn’t answer about me as an individual and about society.  Why do we spend so much time perusing social media every day?  What is it about my favorite song that makes me listen to it on repeat for hours?  Why do we get off track or lose focus so quickly?  Why do I do the right thing, and why do I sometimes do the wrong thing?  Why do we sometimes engage in destructive activities and ignore our better judgment?  I said I would write about this in my How To Staycation: Top 6 Tips post but like I said, the question of motivation is broad. So of course, I start where I always start for topics I don’t know everything about: research.  I did my research, slept on it, and then tried mapping what I learned onto my own motivations.  So now I’m here, still learning how all of this stuff works, but eager to share what I’ve learned thus far with you.  In this post, I’ll focus on breaking down the science behind motivation, and hopefully having a better understanding of the science behind motivation can help you get on (or stay on) the path to success.

So let’s go thru the basics first.  Our brains are our control centers.  They tell different parts of our bodies what to do and when to do it.  In our brains, we have these things called neurotransmitters that send chemical messages to keep us alert and on task.  One neurotransmitter that plays a huge role in motivation is a chemical called dopamine.  There’s also this mesolimbic pathway (which comes from the middle of the brain and branches to lots of different places), which is the most important reward pathway in the brain, and there’s our keyword: reward.  We, as human beings, are motivated by rewards!  Dopamine does its thing before we get the rewards, meaning that it’s real job is to encourage us to act, either in a good way or a bad one (hopefully you’re still following me here).  Dopamine makes you more motivated to complete a specific task, and it’s also responsible for fueling the part of your brain that makes you want to persevere through a challenge because you’re focused on what?  You guessed it, the reward.  When you complete a challenge or reach a goal, dopamine is released which then motivates you to complete something else.  It’s basically a positive cycle that helps you to accomplish more.

So there’s the answer.  We’re driven by rewards.  A reward can be something tangible like an ice cream sundae or a day off, or something less tangible like a compliment or some form of recognition.  There are also more negative rewards, like vengeance, that drive us too.  Remember, we’re talking about rewards in terms of doing something in exchange for something that makes us feel good.  Whether we like to admit it or not, sometimes doing bad things make us feel good, too.

Now let’s talk about the action part.  In order to use dopamine to our advantage (and by that I mean to encourage us to do good and not bad), it’s important for you to learn how you work.  Like I said, we are driven by rewards.  So focus on the rewards of doing something good, whatever that may be for you personally, and work backwards.  Here are some examples.

Using dopamine to boost productivity

-       Record your small accomplishments.  We have no problem recording and celebrating our big accomplishments: graduation, making your first “adult” purchase, having a baby, we've got the big stuff down.  But recording your small accomplishments can really help to boost your productivity.  Write out a to-do list and cross things off as you accomplish them.  As your noted progress increases, so will the effects of dopamine.  I look forward to completing a task so that I can cross it off of a list and in this case, recording small accomplishments leaves plenty of room for crossing things off!

-       Boost your diet with “dopamine filled foods”.  Yes, don’t forget that food is motivation!  Often times knowing that I have a cheat meal coming up over the weekend is good motivation for me to do the right thing and eat clean during the week.  So while eating clean, you can eat dopamine filled foods like fruits and yogurt.

Using dopamine to trigger different thoughts/actions

-       Create competing motivations.  Train your brain to recognize the different between motivations and cravings.  This might mean writing down your goals, keeping them easily accessible or available, and constantly remind yourself of the positive goals you want to achieve.  Maybe try putting fruit next to the pop tarts so that when you want a pop tart, you can have real fruit instead and retrain your mind.  Keep your gym bag near the door so that when you leave the house to go on a fast food run, you have to walk by that bag that triggers thoughts about the gym.  There are lots of little ways to retrain your brain, you just have to figure out what works for you.

Using dopamine to reach your goals

-       For me personally, I need to be in a positive environment to reach my goals.  If you’re in the same boat, try cultivating a positive environment, literally.  Create your happy space.  Dopamine is directly related to rewards, right?  Make your atmosphere your reward.  Put things you genuinely want in your house and workspace.  The idea is that when you’re reminded of your positive goals, you have quick visual and tangible access to things that make you feel rewarded.  I love coming home and lighting candles or diffusing oil.  This is pretty much a staple of my daily routine now and I have associated getting thru the day and making the most of it with the reward of all the smell goods at home.  Very simple, but effective.

-       Use your cravings as rewards.  If you’re not interested in going the “reduce my cravings” route, consider giving in to cravings differently.  Instead of eating apple pie and ice cream after work just because, have apple pie and ice cream over the weekend as a reward for making it thru a tough work week, finishing a project quickly, or sticking to a goal.  I know it seems simple, but it’s a great strategy for establishing new habits while simultaneously getting things done.

-       Do something that makes you happy.  Do you ever wonder why music makes you happy?  One second you’re down about something and after listening to a classic or a favorite you’ve forgotten what you were sad about.  Well, listening to music increases dopamine levels in our brains!  Research shows that it may even have the same effect as eating our favorite foods or watching your favorite television show.  Allow the things that make you happy to help you get back to center.

And that’s it!  I hope you found this useful.  Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe.  Thanks for journeying with me.