[tips] Motivation by Shame

[Michael Britt]

Interesting article on the front page of the Chronicle this week  
called, "Falling Behind?  Try Shame, Fear, and Greed".  Basically the  
idea is that people are trying to motivate themselves by "taking a  
contract out on themselves" on a site called, StickK (http://www.stickk.com/ 
).  Despite the slick website, the idea actually seems pretty basic:  
you decide that if you don't reach a certain goal (say, "lose X amount  
of weight", or, more pertinent to us, let's say, "write the  
introduction section to my manuscript") by X date/time, you agree to  
do something negative (say, donate money to a cause you don't really  
endorse).  If you accomplish your goal, the negative thing will not  
happen.

Sounds like simple negative reinforcement?
Michael


Michael Britt
mich...@thepsychfiles.com
www.thepsychfiles.com







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