Members in the Media
From: Fast Company

This Is When Uncertainty Can Be Motivating, According to Science

Nearly two years into COVID-19, and we continue to deal with a lot of uncertainty. Are we preparing for the end of pandemic, or will we need to figure out a way to live with it indefinitely? Are we planning a return to the office, or should we just keep working from home?

Living with uncertainty can create a steep decline in motivation, especially if you think you have no control, says Ayelet Fishbach, author of Get it Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.

“For some people, the pandemic feels out of our control, even though we can control how likely we are to get sick,” she says. “We use the word ‘helplessness’ to understand why people might not try to change their circumstances. They don’t think that they can escape their destiny. This is the dark side of uncertainty. There is less action.”

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Fast Company

More of our Members in the Media >


APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations present in article comments are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of APS or the article’s author. For more information, please see our Community Guidelines.

Please login with your APS account to comment.