What are the pros & cons of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation for your education?

Need ways to stay motivated when you're doing your schoolwork?

People can be motivated in many different ways. Motivation can be promoted by rewards such as money, grades, or points. Or it can be through feeling a sense of purpose, mastery, or enjoyment. Motivation is key because it helps drive success.

So, how can you use intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation for your education?

Motivation is basically the reason behind your effort — the “why” behind your choices.

Understanding your motivation isn’t just psychology — it helps you study smarter, stay consistent, and not burn out.

Intrinsic Motivation

You do something because you genuinely want to. It feels naturally interesting, meaningful, or enjoyable.

This is shown by:

• Emotions: enjoyment or pleasure

• Rewards: feeling good, pride, or purpose

• Being more likely to do a task for a long time

Examples:

• Studying a subject because you find it interesting

• Joining a team for the fun of it

• Cleaning your room because you like to keep your space organized

Extrinsic Motivation

You do something for an external reward or consequence. Grades. Money. A future job. Approval. Avoiding failure.

This is shown by:

• Emotions: tension or pressure

• Rewards: grades, points, money

• Being more likely to do a task that you're not too interested in

Examples:

• Studying a subject because it's required

• Joining a team to get a trophy

• Cleaning your room so you don't get in trouble

Which of the following is an example of intrinsic motivation for studying math?

A. “I want to understand, because it’s actually interesting.”

B. “I need an A to keep my GPA up.”

C. “My parents will be mad if I fail."

There are many benefits of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation:

The Pros of Intrinsic Motivation

• It usually feels energizing and satisfying.

• It leads to deep learning because you want to learn out of curiosity.

• You'll take control of your own learning, like setting goals or researching topics by yourself.

• You'll stay engaged in topics or subjects longer because you feel satisfaction or enjoyment.

  Example: You feel proud of improving your guitar skills, even if no one else notices.

The Pros of Extrinsic Motivation

• It helps you build habits until they become natural.

• It sets clear goals for you to achieve, which will help you stay focused and motivated to achieve the outcome, like good grades or recognition.

• The promise of rewards encourages you to put in extra effort in your work.

• You'll work through challenges, which will lead to improving your performance.

  Example: You finish your essay early because you know there’s extra credit for turning it in on time.

Neither is perfect. Explore some of the downsides of intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation:

Cons of Intrinsic Motivation

• You may ignore important tasks that aren’t “fun” yet.

• May not have enough external pressure to meet deadlines.

• Not all subjects or tasks are interesting, making it hard to keep up with them.

• It can make you procrastinate certain tasks.

  Example: You might love creative writing, but struggle to stay motivated in required math classes.

Cons of Extrinsic Motivation

• It can cause stress, pressure, and burnout.

• You may stop when the reward or consequence disappears.

• You might do the task just to “get it over with” instead of learning deeply.

• You may do the task at the bare minimum, like only meeting the requirements and not being creative.

  Example: You stop reading after the semester ends because the reward (extra credit) is gone.

You have a big science project due in 3 days. You don’t love the topic, but the project is worth 30% of your grade.

Which motivation type would be most effective in getting started right now?

A. Intrinsic motivation: Force yourself to enjoy it right away.

B. Extrinsic motivation: Remind yourself that the grade matters a lot.

C. Neither: Just wait until you feel naturally interested.

The smartest learners intentionally use both at different moments:

To hear an audio description of the text in the chart above, click the play button on the audio player below:

Reflect on your educational goals and how intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation impacts them. Then write your thoughts down somewhere (the Notes app works):