is a research associate at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His work focuses on cognitive and affective processes in anhedonia and amotivation, as well as psychological therapies for psychosis. There are days when even little things seem surprisingly difficult.
These are small, everyday actions, often done in a few minutes. And yet, for many people, these sometimes feel like tasks for which they have barely enough energy. When we see this kind of struggle in a friend or relative, or feel it in ourselves, simple explanations might come to mind: a lack of drive; a need for meaningful goals; laziness.
You just need to pull yourself together. You know it would do you good. This view overlooks something important.
Between considering or intending to do something and actually doing it, there is a psychological process that usually remains invisible in everyday life. Colloquially, people call this process ‘motivation’. But motivation is not like an internal fuel tank that is full or empty.
Rather, it involves a continually running cost-benefit calculation. Our brains constantly analyse the extent to which an action is worth the effort, which informs us about the seemingly best option at any given moment. This process is called effort-based decision-making.
Since the workings of this process are usually hidden, it’s easy to make wrong inferences about the reasons for a person’s choices or inactivity. However, scientists have devised ways to observe this process in action, allowing us to learn more about what’s happening when a person weighs doing or not doing something. Understanding this process encourages more helpful attitudes toward those who struggle with everyday motivation, which is often connected to a broader mental health condition.
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