Why Motivation Doesn't Work (And What to Do Instead!) I 🎙️8 Minute English I 🎧 Daily Podcast I

Hey everyone! Welcome back to Learn English Daily Podcast. Learn English day by day. I'm Max, and Jane's here with me, as always. Yep, hi everyone! So Jane, have you ever tried to change a habit, but totally failed? Oh, all the time. I keep telling myself to stop checking my phone first thing in the morning. But guess what? Every morning I wake up and boom, I'm scrolling again. I feel you. For me, it's waking up early. Every night I say, tomorrow I'll wake up at 6am and go for a run. But when my alarm rings, I hit snooze. Again and again. Yep, I think a lot of people can relate. What about you, listeners? Have you ever tried to eat healthier, exercise more, or stop procrastinating, but somehow you always fall back into old habits? It's so frustrating, right? And here's the weird part. We usually try to change by scaring ourselves. Right. We tell ourselves, if I don't exercise, I'll be unhealthy. Or if I don't study, I'll fail my exams. But does that actually work? Well, that's what we're talking about today. We'll dive into the science of behavior change, why fear often doesn't work, what actually does help, and how you can make real changes in your life. Plus, of course, we'll help you improve your English along the way. Sounds good. Let's get started. Okay, Jane. Let's say I want to stop eating snacks late at night. What do you think I tell myself? Hmm. Maybe something like, Max, if you keep eating chips at midnight, you'll gain weight. Exactly. Or, if I wanted to stop procrastinating, I'd tell myself, Max, if you don't finish this project, you'll fail. And that's what people usually do, right? We try to scare ourselves into making a change. But guess what? Science says that doesn't really work. Yes. Research shows that when people see scary warnings, like graphic images on cigarette packs, they don't always stop smoking. Sometimes they just ignore the warnings or even smoke more. That's crazy. You'd think fear would make people change, but it actually makes them avoid thinking about the problem. Exactly. It's like animals. When they're scared, they either freeze or run away. Humans do the same thing. That explains why I always avoid checking my bank account when I know I've spent too much money. Oh no, Max. That's not a good strategy. I know. I know. But it's true. When something scares us, we often avoid dealing with it instead of fixing it. So why do people ignore bad news? Scientists did an experiment to find out. Oh, I love experiments. Tell me more. Okay. Imagine this. You have to guess how likely you are to have hearing loss in the future. You say maybe 50%. Then two experts give their opinions. Expert A says, good news. It's only 40%. Expert B says, bad news. It's actually 60%. Now which expert do you believe? Hmm. Let me think. Aha! I'd believe Expert A because the news is better. Exactly. Most people believe the better news because it makes them feel good. Wow. So people like good news and ignore bad news. That's crazy. And here's another interesting fact. This happens at any age. Whether you're 10 years old or 80 years old, you believe good news more than bad news. But kids and older adults are even worse at learning from bad news, right? Yes. So if you're trying to warn a teenager or an elderly person, fear won't really work. Okay, Jane. So fear doesn't work. What does work? Great question, Max. Instead of using fear, we should use positive motivation. Ooh, I like the sound of that. Give me an example. Sure. There was a hospital where doctors and nurses were supposed to wash their hands before seeing patients. But guess what? Only 10% actually did it. Wait. What? That's so bad. I know. But then, they tried something new. They put up an electronic board. Every time someone washed their hands, the board showed their progress. And? Boom. Handwashing went up to 90%. Whoa. That's amazing. You know why it works so well? Tell me. Well, first, people saw others doing it and wanted to do better. Oh. Like when I see my friends at the gym, I feel guilty and want to exercise too. Exactly. That's called social incentives. When we see others improving, we naturally want to keep up. No one likes to feel left behind. Yeah. That reminds me of when I tried to learn Spanish. At first, I was so excited, but then I got lazy. But when my friend kept posting his Spanish progress online, I suddenly felt like, wait, I should get back to it. That's a perfect example. Okay, so what's another reason it worked? Well, people got immediate rewards. Oh, that's a tricky one. A lot of good habits don't give quick rewards, right? Like, if I eat healthy today, I won't wake up tomorrow with six-pack abs. Exactly. That's why a lot of people quit. If the reward feels too far away, the habit doesn't stick. So how do you fix that? You add small rewards along the way. Like, if I go to the gym, I get to buy my favorite smoothie after? Yes. That way, your brain links the habit with something positive. Hmm, I should try that. Okay, what's the last reason? Progress monitoring. People love seeing their improvement. Oh, like when I keep a checklist and tick off every time I drink enough water for the day. Seeing those check marks makes me feel like, yes, I did it! Exactly. Tracking your progress makes the habit feel real. It's like crossing off days on a calendar or watching your savings grow when you put money in a jar. It keeps you motivated. Wow. So, seeing others do it, getting small rewards, and tracking progress, that actually makes changing habits sound possible. Okay, Jane, let's help our listeners. How can they use this in real life? Good idea. Let's take some common habits people want to change. How about exercising more? Instead of thinking, if I don't exercise, I'll be unhealthy, And you can track your progress. Maybe use an app that gives you a badge every time you complete a workout. Okay, another one. Eating healthier. And take photos of your meals. Seeing progress makes it fun. Exactly. Ooh, let's talk about saving money. That's my weakness. I know, Max. Instead of saying, if I don't save, I'll be broke. Think, if I save, I can buy something. Awesome later. Yes, that's using immediate rewards and progress monitoring. And maybe, get a budgeting app that gives you a happy face every time you save. Wow, Jane, this has been such a great discussion. Yes. Let's do a quick recap. Fear doesn't work well because people ignore bad news. People believe positive news more than negative news. The best way to change behavior is through social incentives, immediate rewards, and progress monitoring. And we can use this for exercise, eating healthy, saving money, and even keeping our rooms clean. Max, please fix that. I'll try. But seriously, listeners, what do you want to change? Try these strategies and let us know. Yes. Send us a message or comment on our social media. And don't forget to subscribe to Learn English Daily Podcast. Learn English day by day. Bye, everyone. See you next time. Bye-bye.