Psychology & Psychiatry

Too much motivation affects our decision-making

In a good or a bad mood, focused or distracted, our internal states directly influence our perceptions and decision-making. While the role of motivation on the performance of behavioral tasks has been known for more than ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Why do we like to play violent video games?

Video games aren't just a hobby for kids or teens. People of all ages and genders from all walks of life play them, and they're available in nearly every home, handbag and pocket around the world.

Psychology & Psychiatry

Motivation to achieve goals may depend on anxiety level

People often have different responses to stress. These distinct behavioral reactions could represent factors that indicate different individual susceptibility to develop certain pathologies such as depression. A research ...

Genetics

Fine-tuning motivation in the brain

A characteristic of depression is a lack of motivation. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor Bo Li, in collaboration with CSHL Adjunct Professor Z. Josh Huang, discovered a group of neurons in the mouse brain that ...

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Motivation

Motivation is the internal condition that activates behavior and gives it direction; energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior. The term is generally used for human motivation but, theoretically, it can be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation. According to various theories, motivation may be rooted in the basic need to minimize physical pain and maximize pleasure, or it may include specific needs such as eating and resting, or a desired object, hobby, goal, state of being, ideal, or it may be attributed to less-apparent reasons such as altruism, morality, or avoiding mortality.

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