Freedom, Social Support, and Motivation

A recent TechCrunch article by Nir Eyal suggests that many apps fail to change behavior because they feel too much like work. We want to lose weight, but the obligation to log every meal seems to rob us of autonomy much like homework does. It is something that we have to do, not something that we inherently want to do.

According to Eyal:

'Dr. Jesse Schell, of Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, studies the psychology behind why people play. ... Schell said the difference comes down to whether the behavior is a “wanna” versus a “hafta.” The difference between things we want to do and things you have to do is, according to Schell, is “the difference between work and play … slavery and freedom … efficiency and pleasure.”

... Furthermore, Schell believes maintaining a sense of autonomy is critical to enjoying an experience. Schell points to the work or Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, whose Self-Determination Theory identifies a belief in one’s own freedom to choose as a key requirement for sustained motivation.