The Science of Motivation

Why We're All Designed To Chase Rewards

Hello, Curious Minds!

I hope you’re all well and that you've been enjoying the podcasts and newsletters over the last few weeks. My Season 1 cohost, Matt and I have been having a blast recording them, so please do remember to follow the podcast on Apple or Spotify if you can!

This week, I’ve been exploring a fascinating study by Aviv Weinstein on motivation, reward, and the brain. It dives into why some people seem naturally driven while others struggle to get started - and how dopamine and brain networks shape our motivation levels.

Below, I break down the study’s key findings and what they mean for our understanding of motivation.

How the Brain Drives Motivation

Motivation isn’t just about willpower - it’s deeply wired into our brain’s reward system. The study highlights three key areas that control how we respond to rewards:

🔹 The Prefrontal Cortex – Helps with decision-making and planning - the rational part of motivation.
🔹 The Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) – Anticipates rewards, making us excited about potential outcomes.
🔹 The Dopamine System – Acts as a "motivation fuel," pushing us to take action when we see potential rewards.

The more sensitive your dopamine system, the more likely you are to feel driven and excited about rewards.

Why Do Some People Struggle with Motivation?

Not everyone’s reward system works the same way. The study explores how dopamine sensitivity impacts motivation, explaining why some people find it easy to stay focused while others procrastinate.

⚡ High dopamine sensitivity: More likely to feel naturally motivated, seek challenges, and stay engaged.
🛑 Low dopamine sensitivity: May struggle with finding rewards meaningful, leading to procrastination or lack of drive.

Can We "Hack" Our Motivation?

If motivation is driven by dopamine, we can train our brains to engage more effectively:

✅ Set smaller, immediate rewards – Break big goals into tiny steps with quick wins.
✅ Make tasks more engaging – Find ways to make even boring tasks feel more rewarding.
✅ Use external motivators wisely – Rewards like money or recognition help, but intrinsic motivation (curiosity, passion) is more sustainable.

You'll hear me talk in the podcast episode about my respect for Daniel Pink's work in the book Drive and his philosophy that internal or intrinsic motivation is much more effective, thanks especially to the role of Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose. More on that HERE if you're curious.

Listen to the Discussion on the Podcast

🎙️ Apple Podcast
🎙️ Spotify

Franck’s Five:

Before we go, here are five questions to enable us all to curiously explore this week's theme of thinking about motivation:

1️⃣How do you personally define reward in your work or personal life? ...and is that definition helping or hindering your motivation?

2️⃣ What reward patterns are you reinforcing through your daily habits? Are they helpful?

3️⃣ Are you creating space to anticipate rewards, or are you only focused on outcomes?

4️⃣ What impact does motivation have on your mood, memory and focus?

5️⃣ When was the last time you felt intrinsically motivated? ...and what supported that experience?

Motivation isn’t just about pushing harder—it’s about understanding how our brain responds to rewards. When we work with our biology instead of against it, staying motivated becomes easier and more sustainable.

What do you think? Have you found ways to boost your motivation? Let me know what works for you and what doesn't!

Keep curious, keep exploring, and we'll see you next time.

~ Franck