Action Success Calculation

Motivation is not a static quality but a dynamic, moment-to-moment calculation in the brain based on the action success calculation. This calculation involves weighing the perceived benefits, costs, and likelihood of success for a given action.

We tend to think about motivation as sort of a static quality like, this person is motivated and this person is not motivated. […] But the truth is, that’s not how motivation works. Motivation is a constantly ongoing calculation in the brain.

Action Success Calculation, Perceived Benefits, Perceived Costs, Likelihood of Success

• How can recognizing motivation as a dynamic process help you make positive changes in your life?
• In what areas of your life do you struggle with motivation, and how might the action success calculation be influencing that?

Motivation Calculation

The action success calculation is a simple but crucial formula that the brain uses to determine motivation. It consists of three components: perceived benefits, perceived costs, and likelihood of success.

Motivation = (Perceived Benefits - Perceived Costs) x Likelihood of Success

Examples:

• Going to the bathroom: Motivation increases as the bladder stretches and signals the brain, but other factors like the availability of a bathroom also influence the calculation.
• Quitting smoking: The brain struggles to perceive long-term benefits, so raising the immediate cost (e.g., increasing cigarette prices) can be more effective.
• How can understanding the action success calculation help you identify and address motivational challenges?
• What strategies can you use to influence each component of the calculation to boost motivation?

For the brain to be motivated by a benefit, it must have direct experience of that reward. Intellectual understanding of potential benefits is not enough to drive motivation.

Our brain, when we look at the nucleus accumbens, the nucleus accumbens doesn’t respond to ideas. It doesn’t respond to hypotheticals, it responds to experiences.

Examples:

• Exercise: The long-term benefits of exercise are hard for the brain to perceive, while the immediate experience may be unpleasant, making it challenging to build motivation.
• Flossing: The brain struggles to connect the daily action of flossing with the long-term benefit of dental health.
• How can you create short-term rewards to help your brain experience the benefits of a desired behavior?
• What strategies can you use to bridge the gap between intellectual understanding and direct experience of benefits?

When the brain overestimates the cost of a task, it leads to procrastination. People often dread a task, only to find it wasn’t as bad as they feared once they start.

If we overestimate costs, it results in procrastination. […] I’m waiting, I’m waiting, oh, it’s gonna be awful. It’s gonna be awful and you do it. You’re like, Oh, it wasn’t that bad. I should have done this a week ago.

• How can you catch yourself overestimating the costs of a task and adjust your perception?
• What strategies can you use to break down a daunting task into smaller, less costly steps?

When the brain underestimates the cost of a task, it leads to a lack of follow-through. People get excited about the benefits but give up when they encounter unexpected difficulties.

People abandoned tasks we have trouble with follow through when we underestimate costs.

Examples:

• Learning an instrument: People often get excited about the idea of playing an instrument but underestimate the time, effort, and discomfort (e.g., sore fingers) involved in learning.
• Learning a language: People may be drawn to the benefits of speaking a new language but give up when faced with the consistent effort required.
• How can you research and plan for the true costs of a goal to avoid underestimating them?
• What strategies can you use to maintain motivation when encountering unexpected challenges?

The brain’s assessment of the likelihood of success is subjective and heavily influenced by confidence. As confidence decreases, the perceived chance of success drops, creating a vicious cycle of demotivation.

As their confidence declines? They’re like, Oh, man, I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. I’m terrible at it starts by falling a little bit behind. And now I’m, like, busted in some way.

Examples:

• Dating: As a person experiences rejection or a lack of dating success, their confidence plummets, making it harder to relax and enjoy future dates, further decreasing their chances.
• Writing: A writer who believes their writing is poor will struggle with motivation and may seek external solutions rather than addressing the underlying confidence issue.
• How can you build confidence in areas where you struggle with motivation?
• What strategies can you use to maintain confidence in the face of setbacks or challenges?

Increasing confidence is often the most effective way to boost motivation, as it directly impacts the brain’s assessment of the likelihood of success.

If we want to understand motivation, this action success calculation is very, very helpful, because it shows us that a lot of the struggles that we have, like procrastination follow through and a lack of confidence or not mediated and some you know, deep flaw in our being and are not something to be fixed by buying this organizational planner that has four different colors. That’s not going to work. What we actually need to do is understand how the hell our brain decides to take action and not take action and see which of these mistakes is our brain making.

Steps to Boost Confidence and Motivation:

1. Identify areas where you struggle with motivation and consider how confidence may be affecting your perception of success.
2. Engage in activities that build self-esteem and self-efficacy, even if they seem unrelated to your specific goal (e.g., climbing a mountain to boost writing confidence).
3. Reframe past experiences to focus on learning and growth rather than failure.
4. Set small, achievable goals to create a series of wins and build momentum.
5. Surround yourself with supportive people who believe in your abilities and potential.

• What activities or experiences have boosted your confidence in the past, and how can you incorporate more of them into your life?
• How can you reframe challenges or setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning?