Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Yuhas 2012 Scientific American Mind
Yuhas 2012 Scientific American Mind
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.
Competence
chologists at the Democritus University of Thrace and the University of Thessaly in Greece surveyed 882 students on their
a ttitudes and engagement with athletics during a two-year
period. They found a strong link between a students sense of
prowess and his or her desire to pursue sports. The connection
worked in both directions practice 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 areas feeling forced, finding an activity pointless or doubting your capabilities. Tackling
such sources of resistance can strengthen your resolve. The
choice, of course, is yours.
Value
K r i s t e n G e r ac i G e t t y I m a g e s
w w w. S c i e nti f i c A m e r i c an .c o m/M in d s c i e n t i f i c am e r i c a n m i n d 49
MiQ612Yuha4p.indd 49
9/7/12 6:09 PM