My Hobby for Relaxing is Stressing Me Out?

 The Overjustification effect explains the loss of motivation to do an activity we enjoy after being given a reward for it (Lepper et al., 1973). Deci and Ryan (1985) describe intrinsic motivation is the desire to perform a task for the enjoyment it gives us, and extrinsic motivation is the desire to perform a task as a means of obtaining something outside of ourselves, such as money, or status. When we are rewarded for performing a task we already enjoy, that intrinsic motivation is replaced with extrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Lepper et al., 1973). If we receive a reward that we didn’t expect, it won’t affect our intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Lepper et al., 1973).

In Lepper et al.’s (1973) experiment, children were given markers to draw with. Lepper and his colleagues created three groups: kids who would be notified that they would get an award for using the markers, kids who would not be notified about an award and later receive one, and kids who would not be notified about, nor given an award. Then, they reintroduced markers into the class’s free time. They found that the kids that did not receive awards and the kids that unexpectedly received awards used the markers. They also found that the kids who had knowingly received awards did not draw with the markers, presumably because they knew that they would not get any reward for it (Lepper et al., 1973).

I took up nature photography at the beginning of the pandemic. It helped me get out of the house and felt like an escape from the stress of the whole situation. Though I hoped that I would get some good shots out of these sessions, I cared more about the experience of taking photos. After several months, I had amassed so many pictures that I decided to make a calendar out of my favorites. I gave them out to family and friends as Christmas gifts. I hadn’t expected to be praised so much. At first, it didn’t affect my mindset as I continued my photography sessions. By three years in, I felt pressure to go out and take photos. They needed to be very good ones, or I would look back on that photo session as time wasted. I rarely pick up my camera now. As was the case in Lepper et al.’s (1973) study, I lost my intrinsic motivation because my loved ones praised me so much for continuing my hobby (Deci & Ryan, 1985). I don’t know how to fix it.

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Reference List

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Berlin: Springer Science & Business Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7

Lepper, M. R., Greene, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1973). Undermining children's intrinsic interest with extrinsic reward: A test of the "overjustification" hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 28(1), 129–137. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0035519