News

April 24, 2014 by Shannon

What is it you really, really want? To answer this honestly, it helps to know where your motivation comes from, explain Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, psychology professors at the University of Rochester. There are two types of motivation that govern human behavior: intrinsic motivation, which means being driven from within or doing something because we find it personally enjoyable; and extrinsic motivation, which involves being driven by something outside of ourselves or an external reward (example: studying to get a good grade, not for the sake of learning).

April 19, 2014 by Shannon

"Nature is fuel for the soul. Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature," said the study's lead author, Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.

May 10, 2012 by Shannon

May 10th 2012. Pioneering work in the field was carried out in the early 1970s by Edward Deci, a psychologist at Rochester University in New York. He found that students offered cash prizes to solve puzzles were less likely to continue working on them after payments had been made, compared to students who were offered no...