The same rule applies to psychological discomfort. When we feel lonely, bored, or uncertain, we act to relieve our emotional disquietude. We might see a friend to relieve loneliness, or watch a show on television when we're bored. We may look up something online to satisfy our uncertainty - all because we seek to escape these uncomfortable sensations.
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Understanding Motivation
Neurologically speaking, motivation is the desire to escape psychological discomfort or a life situation that is not giving us any kind of ‘pleasure’.
Most behaviors are prompted by discomfort. If we are hungry, we eat. If we are lonely, we call up a friend. If we are bored, we turn on...
What drives motivation
Motivation is not driven by pleasure and pain, but rather by the desire to escape discomfort.
Our brains get our bodies to do what they want through discomfort. And the same rule applies to psychological discomfort.
Internal and external triggers
- External triggers: cellphones, work colleagues etc. They take us off track when we planned to focus.
- Internal triggers: they come from within. They are uncomfortable emotional states you seek to escape.
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