Psychology of
MOTIVATION
by Boonie Yang
Have you ever asked yourself: why am I so easily procrastinated by my phone when I start anything related to school?
What is motivation? According to Psychology Today, motivation is the driving force behind everything we do, from getting out of bed to pursuing long-term goals like writing a book, running a marathon, or earning a college degree.
It is really easy for us to loose our motivations to do something we don’ t want to do. Sometimes, the effect of loosing motivation could be getting stuck in a self-sabotaging cycle of procrastination, depression, anxiety, and self-doubt in the choices being made. Sometimes, we did set a goal for us to get motivated, but it just doesn’ t work the way it’ s supposed to be.
People would often ask: why’ s does this happen to me? And of course, how do I overcome my habit with procrastination?
Science / Theories behind motivation Motivations can’ t be improved with the process of blaming yourself. Blaming yourself for being lazy or stupid can’ t help your brain at all. Instead, it will just damage how our brains are wired. This is made up of a complex process influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
Intrinsic motivation comes from within our minds, and is driven by passion, curiosity, personal satisfaction, and personal interest. Extrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is influenced through the rewards and pressures we gain physically; for example, receiving a global price on the Cornell Research Paper Magazine challenge or receiving first honors. One side depends on our interest, while the others depends physically on what we gain from it.
Our brain is the main reason and cause of motivation, particularly the neurotransmitter dopamine. This part of the brain not only gives us a feeling of pleasure; it’ s also really crucial to our motivation because dopamine reinforces behaviors that bring feelings of rewards.
It’ s like a pet dog receiving a piece of treat after listening to its owner. Our brain is the same! Once we achieve a goal,