Study Finds Even Young Children Work Harder When Their Effort Matters

A new study suggests that even young children are more willing to work hard when they believe what they make will matter or last.

Mind

Details

A new psychology study suggests that the urge to make our efforts matter may appear surprisingly early in life. Researchers tested children as young as four alongside adults using simple puzzle activities. Participants could either make shapes that would be taken apart immediately or make shapes that would be saved. Across several experiments, people generally showed more interest in the activity when their creations were preserved. In one experiment, more than 80 percent of children chose the harder creative task when they knew their work would be saved, compared with about half when they expected it to be dismantled. Adults showed a similar pattern. The researchers also found that enjoyment could increase motivation when the work had no lasting consequence, but enjoyment did not completely replace the motivational boost associated with having an outcome that mattered. The findings suggest that a sense of significance may influence motivation earlier than traditionally assumed. At the same time, the researchers caution that the experiments tested a very narrow form of meaning in controlled settings. Saving a physical object is not the same as giving someone a larger purpose, recognition, financial reward, or a personally important goal. The study also does not show that making work meaningful will automatically motivate everyone. Personal circumstances, interest, difficulty, rewards, culture, and the nature of the task can all matter. The research therefore offers an intriguing clue about motivation rather than a complete explanation of why people choose to work hard.

More videos

Up nextParental Loss Linked to Twice the Risk of Mental Health Disorders in Children