Motivation Myth Busters: Science-Based Strategies to Boost Motivation in Yourself and Others

by Wendy S. Grolnick, Benjamin C. Heddy, Frank C. Worrell

What does science tell us about motivation? This book challenges common myths about motivation, and offers readers strategies for successfully motivating themselves and others.

Many unscientific and inaccurate ideas about motivation persist because they seem so logical, simple, or appealing. For example, we may say that someone else’s “lazy” or “unmotivated” behavior is just part of their personality, whereas in reality it’s more likely that their actions are related to their situation or environment.

This book reveals the scientific truth about motivation. Readers will learn to identify and debunk ten persistent myths about motivation—for example, that visualizing success leads to success, or that competition and rewards increase motivation—and replace those myths with accurate knowledge that will help them take positive steps toward their goals.
 
Each chapter uses cutting-edge psychological research and theory to offer proven strategies for boosting motivation in a variety of contexts including school, career, health, and parenting.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology

357 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Karin H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Motivation Myth Busters" is like your cool, truth-telling friend who sets the record straight on all those motivation myths we've heard over the years. You know, the ones about visualizing success or thinking that competition always lights a fire under us. Well, get ready for a reality check!

This book dives deep into ten of these motivation myths and, guess what, it totally busts them. Instead of relying on wishful thinking, it hits you with the real deal backed by cutting-edge psychology research. So, if you've ever felt stuck or wondered why motivation seems elusive, this book's got your back.

What's awesome about "Motivation Myth Busters" is that it covers motivation in different life areas – school, work, health, parenting – you name it. It's like a Swiss Army knife for understanding and boosting your motivation across the board.

In a nutshell, this book is your secret weapon for kicking those motivation myths to the curb and embracing what really works. If you're into self-improvement and want to level up your motivation game, this one's a must-read. Trust me, you won't look at motivation the same way again! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was confused because it was only 8 pages, but it's a good 8 pages. It talks about how we attribute other people's actions to personal qualities but our own actions as situation dependent, which is a fallacy.
Once we get past this mistake in thinking, we can deal with the fact that people are all motivated and we can work on figuring out what's going on to help increase motivation for tasks where we're not feeling it.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me preview this

[R.Z. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so short that it was over almost before it began. That said, it does give practical and helpful advice to parents who believe that their child lacks motivation or to individuals who just can't get going. Written in an easy-to-read style, the authors shatter the myths that keep people from achieving their goals. In any given situation, however, the lack of motivation may go deeper than what is presented here, but nevertheless, this is a good start, and I recommend this book.

[Jonno · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book, but they were not met. It focuses way too much on theory and not enough on the evidence for those theories. When the authors do describe evidence, it's often unconvincing. For example, they describe a study in which participants watched videos of different coaching styles and then were asked which one they would prefer if their coach were to use that style. This is categorically different from having coaches use different coaching styles and then asking players about their experiences being coached in that way. The authors should know that our predictions about our experiences often don't match our experiences; one of their chapters is literally titled "We Need Help Accurately Assessing Our Abilities".

Near the end, I was looking for reasons to like this book more, and was happy to read a very practical chapter where they have the reader practice applying the lessons from the book. But then the last chapter has a recipe for changing minds that just doesn't seem realistic to me. It says, "Step 1 is to inform people that they are mistaken." (p. 322) Clearly that is not working in our radically polarized political moment. On the next page, the authors acknowledge, "When you tell people they are wrong, they tend to get defensive, stop listening, dig into their current belief, and refuse to engage in the conversation. Therefore, it's not enough simply to tell people they are wrong. Instead, help them come to this conclusion on their own." How? How do you help them come to this conclusion on their own? That's the hard part, and that's what we need you to tell us.

[Dave Cates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can be informative

The researchers did well compiling the theories and providing examples and guidance for each part of motivation. Several times in the book, they didn't understand the variables and incorrectly used a theory to support causation. If they hadn't provided well thought examples, this could have been a serious problem. Beware of the woke agenda that pops up in the book. It's not common but does interfere and removes credibility, especially when they use an agenda piece as support for a theory that has been disproven on numerous occasions.

I think a reader would get more benefit having chatgpt summarize this book if the reader is familiar with leadership or other psych ideas.

[Donna Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone has a different level of motivation in different situations. This book gives us the myths and reasons why we think and feel the way we do around who is movitated how how we get motivated. The book also gives you ways to change your brain to think about something different when you are unmotivated or you are working with people you think are unmotivated.
We live in a workd where many people are overwhelmed and some of the techniques aren't going to work.
If you, yourself feel unmotivated, then you can change you (said the hypnotist reading this book).

[Klaire Hoang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book on getAbstract and didn’t read the full version, but I was pleasantly surprised by how solid its core theses are. Having read countless self-development books, I found this one to be among the most insightful. It applies second-order thinking in a way that feels genuinely fresh and practical. It almost feels like the final boss of motivation books.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces and dissects 10 different myths about motivation. Even if one is very familiar with the academic topic of motivation, there is material in there that is new and different.

[John Chancey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ben Heddy is my hero!