Self-Determination: Pay Someone to Play, and They Stop Loving It
Deci & Ryan 1985 — how external rewards kill internal motivation
A Dollar's Worth of Interest
In 1971, Edward Deci, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon University, challenged the prevailing wisdom of his time. This was during the twilight of Skinner's behaviorism, when many believed the study of motivation was complete. The established theory stated, "rewards strengthen behavior." Deci, however, questioned this assumption. To test it, he had students solve Soma puzzles. Group A simply solved the puzzles without any reward. Group B received $1 for each puzzle solved, which was equivalent to about $7 in 1971. A week later, the experimenter excused himself, saying, "I'll be back in a moment," and left the room for eight minutes. On the desk were the puzzles and some magazines. Their free-time behavior was secretly recorded on video.
The Paid Group Played Less
The results were notable. Group A, who received no monetary reward, spent an average of 4 minutes and 50 seconds engaging with the puzzles during their free time. In contrast, Group B, who had been paid, spent significantly less time, averaging only 3 minutes and 10 seconds. The group that received money played with the puzzles less during their free period. Deci interpreted this by suggesting that Group B had re-evaluated their reason for solving the puzzles, shifting from "it's fun" to "it's for the money." Once the money was removed, their motivation also disappeared. This groundbreaking study, published in 1971 as "Effects of Externally Mediated Rewards on Intrinsic Motivation," was the first experiment to challenge the fundamental assumptions of behaviorism.
Autonomy + Competence + Relatedness
Following two decades of subsequent research, Deci and Ryan published "Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination" in 1985. Their work identified three essential conditions for humans to maintain intrinsic motivation: (1) **Autonomy** — the feeling that one has chosen an action oneself. (2) **Competence** — the sense of being effective and capable. (3) **Relatedness** — the desire to connect with and care for others. Game design often stimulates these three conditions precisely, offering freedom of choice, progressively challenging tasks, and opportunities to play with friends. The same principles apply to a good workplace environment. These three intrinsic factors are far more powerful motivators than external rewards. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the most significant issue with the Korean education system is its tendency to deprive students of autonomy.
The Character for Self
The Chinese character "自 (ja)" originally depicted the shape of a nose. This is because people often point to their nose when referring to themselves, a gesture of self-identification. The ancient text "The Great Learning" (대학) states, "君子必愼其獨," which translates to, "The superior person is watchful over himself when alone." When an individual is truly themselves—acting without the promise of external rewards—and their actions originate from within, this aligns precisely with the autonomy described in Self-Determination Theory. The wisdom embedded in Chinese characters understood this concept over a thousand years ago. The "self" (自) is not something that is created externally.
