Certain chemicals in the brain can influence human motivation, encouraging more active behavior and potentially enhancing mental health. However, they can also cause side effects if their quantity or balance is altered.
Motivation is the magical source of energy that helps individuals accomplish tasks or change their behaviors. But why do some people feel more enthusiastic and active than others?
Each person’s motivation and the reasons behind it are as unique as their fingerprints—no two people are exactly alike. However, there are some chemical mechanisms in the brain that can affect how excited a person feels and how they find inspiration each day.
What Makes People Excited?
Professor Robert West, a psychology expert in science and behavioral health at University College London, UK, states that individuals find inspiration in different areas.
He explains, “There are many things that motivate us, from concrete experiences (such as satisfaction, comfort, excitement, or hunger) to more abstract desires like purpose or control. Social motivations include love, power, and recognition. Each person perceives these things with different levels of importance and therefore prioritizes them differently at various stages of life.”
Endorphins and dopamine play a role in desire experiences and behavior formation.
Neurotransmitters may be the reason why individuals have different levels of motivation. A study published in 2012 in the Journal of Neuroscience conducted experiments with a group of people playing a math game at various difficulty levels with cash rewards.
The brains of those who preferred more challenging levels released more dopamine in brain areas associated with reward and motivation, specifically the striatum and prefrontal cortex. In contrast, players opting for easier levels released more dopamine in the anterior lobe, which is responsible for emotion and risk perception.
Professor West noted that specific chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins and dopamine, are involved in desire experiences and behavior formation. For instance, dopamine released in a brain area called the nucleus accumbens “teaches” us what we like and dislike, while endorphins relate to feelings of satisfaction.
There is a common misconception that dopamine is released to create pleasure or in response to rewards, and that the brain produces this chemical when a person feels satisfied. However, a report published in the Journal of Neuroscience indicates that these neurotransmitters actually motivate individuals to act before receiving a reward.
In other words, dopamine is released to achieve something good. Since dopamine is released in different brain regions, this explains why each person finds inspiration in different things or is motivated by various factors.
The level of dopamine production varies among individuals, which explains why some people exhibit more persistence than others when striving towards a goal.
Is There a Way to Become More Excited?
It is entirely possible to become more excited if we understand the so-called gap between intention and action. This is the opinion of Professor Susan Michie, Director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at University College London, UK.
She states that although a person may feel a strong desire to change, they may still not actually change. The issue lies in the transition from feeling to action. Merely having feelings is not enough to trigger change. The individual also needs behavioral management skills and opportunities to make changes happen.
According to her, there are several ways to bridge the gap between intention and action. This includes planning and detailing exactly what, when, and with whom the action needs to take place. Sharing that plan with others can also increase motivation to stick to it, as executing a plan with someone or meeting someone who knows about the plan can provide a rewarding psychological experience and create accountability.
A 2011 study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participating in group activities can encourage and enhance the performance quality of weaker group members—those considered less capable of completing tasks compared to others. Researchers suggest this occurs due to the belief that everyone’s effort is necessary for the group’s success.
Additionally, substituting one activity for another can also boost excitement and motivation. Professor Michie states, “If someone intends to stop doing something they enjoy, such as drinking alcohol, they need to think about what they can do instead of drinking and avoid places that might lead them to the drinking behavior they want to quit.”
