Cocaine in the Workplace

It turns out that reward systems can be as addictive as cocaine.  Think I’m kidding?  I’m not. 

Brian Knutson conducted a study that showed the actually neuro-chemical processes that proved this.  Looks like he’s busy continuing this work: http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~span/.  His original study consisted of measuring brain activity via fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) while research subjects played games.  Cash rewards were sometimes linked to performance.  When the possibility of winning (not losing) money was attached to a game, a part of the human brain called the nucleus accumbens was activated.  The well-know neuro-chemical dopamine flooded the area.  This is the same part of the brain activated by cocaine and other highly-addictive drugs.  Knutson and others have replicated these findings. 

With drug use, the surge in dopamine feels great.  It creates that “buzz” sensation we get from other, more benign forms of stimulation.  But then it dissipates.  It goes away, leaving you wanting to feel it again.  When you do, you get another massive dose of dopamine.  That dissipates, too.  You itch for the feeling again.  As your brain is repeatedly flooded with dopamine, you get used to the feeling.  The buzz lasts for less and less time.  More and more of the stimulant, in this case drugs, is needed to achieve and sustain the buzz.  That’s addiction in a nutshell.

With monetary reward, the same dopamine cycle also occurs.  The implication is monetary reward systems can also become addictive.  They run the risk of replicating immunity to the cycle of activity-reward-buzz.  We either need more monetary reward, more frequently or it simply loses effectiveness.  In fact, research shows that this is exactly what happens.  The focus shifts from the activity to the reward, from the positive behavior we want to reinforce to the buzz resulting from getting the money. 

Other negative effects follow.  What was once fun becomes mundane.  “Play” becomes work.  If extrinsic reward, reward from outside the individual, is the primary focus for motivation, several negative after effects are possible.  Performance decreases.  Productivity wanes.  Quality suffers.  Interestingly, and unfortunately, the potential for risky behavior increases as the desire for the reward increases.  Not only that, the individual may even seek out risk in order to create a situation that might lead to a reward.  The frequency of risk-taking mistakes will likely increase as a result.

The caution here is not “never reward with money” but “never reward with money and money alone.”  Creating personal, more intimate forms of rewards like hand-written notes and extra flexibility in the work place are excellent ways to show appreciation and reward the right results and behavior.  It keeps the dopamine palate clean, allowing for the individual to develop a greater sense of intrinsic motivation.  

Interested in learning more about motivation and what drives us as human beings?  Read Daniel Pink’s latest book, “Drive.”  Not only is it an in-depth study of human motivation, it also provides tools and resources that can be applied to the place you work.  “Drive” is one of the most important books you can read.