I LOVED this article because it is so true, yet never really thought about.
To summarize, the article talked about how when a reward is hung infront of a childs face, their attention turns from the activity at hand to that reward, and often results in a poorly finished activity (in the study on Psyblog, the activity was drawing). The article stated it very well: "Play becomes work." Ponder it for a moment and you'll probably be able to think of a time when you were a kid, or maybe when you saw a child, perform a simple task differently because a reward was involved. Maybe you didn't go beyond expectations because you knew that when you finished the bare minimum, you would get a reward. Maybe the opposite is true; maybe you went TOO far above and beyond in order to obtain your reward and, in result, overdid it.
An example that came to mind in my life is volleyball. Our team played a very poor, very beatable team on senior night two weeks ago and lost. I kept asking myself "why do we ALWAYS crack under pressure?!" and I think this may take part in the reason. When a reward, in my situation, winning, is the main thing on one's mind, they play/draw/etc. FOR that reward, not for the fun of the activity. This is where play becomes work, where individuals and teams meet their breaking points.
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Wow I never really thought of that. You have a very good point with the rewards. It really does effect what you are doing. If someone knows there will be an award at the end of a road that will change there life forever, the person would most likely go for it even if the road was covered with traps and different sorts or danger. People in my opinion live for the rewards in life. They continue on and work hard because they know it will all pay off in the end and they will receive the prise ahead.
ReplyDeleteI just blogged about this. This article really put in perspective for me as to why the things that I once enjoyed doing such as competing in forensics is no longer enjoyable for me. I have gotten so many rewards now I just come to expect it; that I am not having fun anymore. I believe this article is true; however I have heard several times find something you enjoy and pursue that as a career. My question is what if you lose interest in something you love doing as a career because you are no getting paid for it? (getting paid according to the article is considered a reward)
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