Competition increases motivation in goal pursuit by making the attainment more valuable.
Emotions significantly influence decision-making, highlighting the importance of catering to diverse needs beyond the functional.
Deep dives
The Motivation Behind Academic Research
The podcast delves into the motivation behind academic research on shared goal pursuit and motivation. The guest, Suche Hwang, discusses how her interest in motivation was sparked during her time at an advertising agency, prompting her to explore topics like collaboration, competition, and donor motivation. Through various projects, she examines how motivation can change and how technology influences motivation.
Understanding Needs and Emotionality in Decision Making
Hwang highlights key ideas from her class on decision making, emphasizing the importance of understanding diverse needs to motivate behavior. She uses Nike as an example, showcasing how products cater to multiple needs beyond the functional. Additionally, she underscores the impact of emotionality on decision-making, revealing that emotions play a significant role in choices and outcomes.
The Dynamics of Goal Pursuit and Information Avoidance
The podcast explores the concept of information avoidance and its effect on motivation during goal pursuit. Hwang's research reveals that individuals tend to avoid social benchmarks when feeling insecure about their progress halfway through a goal. This avoidance can lead to decreased motivation. The findings suggest that providing attainability signals and dynamic feedback tailored to individuals' stages are crucial for sustaining motivation throughout the goal pursuit journey.
Why do we do what we do? What factors drive us? And how do things like competition with others help us achieve our goals?
These are the questions most interesting to Szu-chi Huang, an associate professor of marketing with a specific interest in motivation. “Competition definitely increases motivation,” says Huang. “It makes attaining the goal more valuable.”
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Huang and host Matt Abrahams explore the intersection of human psychology, behavior, and goal attainment—and how communication connects them all.