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Learning about the three psychological needs that make us feel truly motivated and happy in our work.
Why can you spend five hours mastering a difficult video game level but feel exhausted after five minutes of chores? The secret isn't laziness—it's about what your brain 'craves' to stay fired up.
Quick Check
According to Self-Determination Theory, what are the three 'nutrients' our minds need to stay motivated?
Answer
Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness.
Autonomy is the need to feel that you are the 'author' of your own life. It doesn't mean doing whatever you want without rules. Rather, it means feeling that your actions come from your own choice and values. When a teacher lets you choose your own topic for a history project, your autonomy goes up. You feel a sense of ownership. Research shows that when students feel autonomous, they process information more deeply and stay with a task longer, even when it gets tough. Without autonomy, we feel like 'pawns' being moved around by others, which quickly drains our energy.
Imagine two students, Sarah and Leo, are learning to cook. 1. Sarah is told she must make a specific carrot soup exactly as the book says. 2. Leo is told he can choose any vegetable soup to make and can pick his own spices.
Even if the work is the same, Leo will likely be more motivated because his autonomy is higher. He has ownership over the flavor!
Think about learning a new sport like basketball. 1. On Day 1, you can't hit a layup. You feel low competence. 2. On Day 10, you hit out of shots. You see progress. 3. On Day 30, you hit out of .
Because you feel competent, you don't want to stop; you actually want to try harder shots (like three-pointers) because your brain is hooked on the feeling of getting better.
Quick Check
Why is a task that is 'too easy' bad for your motivation?
Answer
It doesn't satisfy the need for competence because you aren't growing or proving your effectiveness; it leads to boredom.
The final pillar is Relatedness. This is the need to feel connected to others and to feel that you belong to a group. We are social creatures. When you feel that your teacher cares about you, or that your teammates have your back, you are more willing to take risks and work hard. Relatedness provides a 'safety net.' If you feel lonely or ignored in a classroom, your brain enters a 'threat state,' making it much harder to focus on learning. High relatedness turns a group of individuals into a community where everyone thrives.
Alex joins a robotics club. 1. Autonomy: The team lets him design the robot's arm (High Choice). 2. Competence: He struggles at first but learns to code the motor (High Growth). 3. Relatedness: However, the other members ignore his ideas and eat lunch without him (Low Connection).
Even though Alex is good at coding and has choices, his total motivation will be low because his Relatedness score is near zero. To fix this, the team needs to include him in their social circle.
Which term describes the need to feel in control of your own choices?
If a task is so difficult that you feel you will never succeed, which need is NOT being met?
True or False: Relatedness means you must be the leader of the group to feel motivated.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to list the three pillars of motivation and think of one time today you felt 'Competence.'
Practice Activity
Pick a chore you usually dislike. Try to find one way to add 'Autonomy' to it (like choosing the music you listen to or the order you do the steps) and see if it changes how you feel.