Payoff

The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations

Dan Ariely

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/ TED
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781501120046
• eBook ISBN:
  9781501120053
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Personal Success
• Index: Psychology

Bestselling author Dan Ariely reveals fascinating new insights into motivation—showing that the subject is far more complex than we ever imagined.

Every day we work hard to motivate ourselves, the people we live with, the people who work for and do business with us. In this way, much of what we do can be defined as being “motivators.” From the boardroom to the living room, our role as motivators is complex, and the more we try to motivate partners and children, friends and coworkers, the clearer it becomes that the story of motivation is far more intricate and fascinating than we’ve assumed.

Payoff investigates the true nature of motivation, our partial blindness to the way it works, and how we can bridge this gap. With studies that range from Intel to a kindergarten classroom, Ariely digs deep to find the root of motivation—how it works and how we can use this knowledge to approach important choices in our own lives. Along the way, he explores intriguing questions such as: Can giving employees bonuses harm productivity? Why is trust so crucial for successful motivation? What are our misconceptions about how to value our work? How does your sense of your mortality impact your motivation?

Table of contents

• Cover
• Dedication
• Introduction: From Tragedy to Meaning and Motivation
• Chapter 1: How to Destroy Motivation, or: Work as a Prison Movie
• Chapter 2: The Joy of (Even Thinking That We Are) Making Something
• Chapter 3: Money Is from Mars, Pizza Is from Venus, and Compliments Are from Jupiter
• Chapter 4: On Death, Relationships, and Meaning
• Epilogue: The Answer to the Ultimate Question
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Watch Dan Ariely’s Ted Talks
• Related Talks on Ted.Com
• Also from Ted Books
• About Ted Books
• About Ted
• Notes
• Copyright