The Paradoxical And Complex Relationship Between Happiness And Motivation

If there’s anything that makes us work or strive for perfection, it’s largely our dreams and aspirations. There are odds aplenty, yet we can’t deny how powerful these goals make us work relentlessly towards achieving them. If you take a close look at the connection between happiness and motivation, it’s quite complex. However, it’s worth understanding what drives people to put their best foot forward.

Happy People Are More Productive

There is no shortage of evidence that points to the fact happy people are much more productive. Going by the Gallup-Healthways study, rising cases of unhappy workers in the US almost cut down on $300 billion every year, in terms of productivity level.

Andrew J. Oswald had also conducted a series of studies with his team, which establishes happiness in impacting productivity. So subjects watched comedy clips as part of the experiment. Strangely, subjects who watched the clip demonstrated a 12% increase in their happiness levels. And they produced similar productivity results. We cannot say the same for those who viewed the ‘placebo’ clip.

At least, this stands clear that happiness no doubt affects productivity. But you can’t merely tell people to become happier without any reason. However, you can do that by creating a workflow to meet the requirements of employees. And soon, you would notice that your organization is reaching it’s goals with ease!

What Is The Connection Between Well-Being And Motivation?

While reiterating that happy people are naturally more productive, have you wondered why this even occurs? In reality, happy people detect the obvious changes in their energy levels, usually because of a combination of physical conditions (exhaustion, ailments) and psychological ones.

Scientists Ryan from the University of Rochester and Christina Frederic from the University of Southern Utah researched the relation between subjective vitality and well-being. As per their findings, subjective reality increases when primary psychological needs like competence, autonomy, and desire to excel are satiated. This is enhanced when any action occurs due to one’s own decisions and not dictated by others.

Exercising autonomy produces a liberating feeling that energizes oneself, against controlled behavior that drains the system. The study’s samples suggest that people who visit a weight loss clinic had a completely different outlook when they had controlled reasons to undergo the treatment. Unlike them, those who had autonomous reasons while participating displayed greater vitality. Hence, we can infer that intrinsic motivation propels subjective vitality levels. Autonomy fosters a feel-good factor, and the result is overall well-being.

Positive Emotions And Daily Work Life Struggle

Having positive interactions at the workplace with colleagues and members is a sure way to boost happiness levels. Also, the ambiance makes a tremendous impact on the overall satisfaction level, motivating employees to do their best.

The study at UC Berkeley from the Haas School of Business clearly showed that being positive at work radiates in three different places. The team member will be the first one to feel the effect of it. No matter what relationship they share with others, several notches improve cognitive functioning, transfer to the work scenario.

Secondly, others’ responses towards the team member also improve. So if one team member exudes positive vibes, the same is likely to be perceived by the other, who responds favorably. Third and last, someone experiencing positivity will also meet a similar response to all other team members or office members. This usually occurs as noticed in the behavioral traits displayed, like extending help, offering treats, or taking a stroll or break from work.

Team members at your workplace are likely to exhibit greater productivity, and their happiness will also bring better outcomes for others. Positive emotion brings optimism to the table. Believe it or not, the more you start anticipating success, the greater your chances of persisting while being on the job. It starts with a belief. So if you believe that the outcome will be positive, you are more likely to continue the task and adopt innovative methods. And you will stick to the task even if the situations are unfavorable. In short, the motivation to achieve your goals will come naturally to you, and procrastination will be a thing of the past. So, are you ready to embrace a happy attitude towards your tasks and see if that motivates you?