Three Critical Elements Sustain

Motivation
When it comes to cultivating genius, talent matters, but motivation may matter more
By Daisy Yuhas | Oct 18, 2012

KRISTEN GERACI Getty Images

Got motivation? Without it, the long, difficult hours of practice that elevate some people
above the rest are excruciating. But where does such stamina come from, and can we
have some, too? Psychologists have identified three critical elements that support
motivation, all of which you can tweak to your benefit.
Autonomy
Whether you pursue an activity for its own sake or because external forces compel you,
psychologists Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan of the University of Rochester argue
that you gain motivation when you feel in charge. In evaluations of students, athletes
and employees, the researchers have found that the perception of autonomy predicts the
energy with which individuals pursue a goal.
In 2006 Deci and Ryan, with psychologist Arlen C. Moller, designed several experiments
to evaluate the effects of feeling controlled versus self-directed. They found that subjects
given the opportunity to select a course of action based on their own opinions (for
example, giving a speech for or against teaching psychology in high school) persisted
longer in a subsequent puzzle-solving activity than participants who were either given

no choice or pressured to select one side over another. Deci and Ryan posit that acting
under duress is taxing, whereas pursuing a task you endorse is energizing.
Value
Motivation also blossoms when you stay true to your beliefs and values. Assigning value
to an activity can restore one's sense of autonomy, a finding of great interest to
educators. In a 2010 review article, University of Maryland psychologists Allan Wigfield
and Jenna Cambria noted that several studies have found a positive correlation between
valuing a subject in school and a student's willingness to investigate a question
independently.
The good news is that value can be modified. In 2009 University of Virginia psychologist
Christopher S. Hulleman described a semester-long intervention in which one group of
high school students wrote about how science related to their lives and another group
simply summarized what they had learned in science class. The most striking results
came from students with low expectations of their performance. Those who described
the importance of science in their lives improved their grades more and reported greater
interest than similar students in the summary-writing group. In short, reflecting on why
an activity is meaningful could make you more invested in it.
Competence
As you devote more time to an activity, you notice your skills improve, and you gain a
sense of competence. In 2006 psychologists at the Democritus University of Thrace and
the University of Thessaly in Greece surveyed 882 students on their attitudes and
engagement with athletics during a two-year period. They found a strong link between a
student's sense of prowess and his or her desire to pursue sports. The connection
worked in both directionspractice made students more likely to consider themselves
competent, and a sense of competence strongly predicted that they would engage in
athletic activity. Similar studies in music and academics bolster these findings.
Carol S. Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, has shown that competence
comes from recognizing the basis of accomplishment. In numerous studies, she has
found that those who credit innate talents rather than hard work give up more easily
when facing a novel challenge because they assume it exceeds their ability. Believing
that effort fosters excellence can inspire you to keep learning.

The next time you struggle to lace up your sneakers or park yourself at the piano bench,
ask yourself what is missing. Often the answer lies in one of these three areasfeeling
forced, finding an activity pointless or doubting your capabilities. Tackling such sources
of resistance can strengthen your resolve. The choice, of course, is yours.