MODULE 1: Start Here
IN THIS LESSON: The human brain has 3 goals
The power of our human brain is incredible. It is a problem solving machine, designed to keep you safe. But you might have noticed, If you have ever tried to make a change in your life, great resistance, even when the desired change would be a positive shift overall.
Here's where the Motivational Triad comes in. This is a concept often discussed in the context of of psychology and human behavior, particular in relation to motivation and change. It consists of three fundamental and interconnected motivational drivers or tendencies that evolved to help humans survive and thrive.
All of our actions are innately motivated by three things: the desire to seek pleasure, to avoid pain, and to do so with the least amount of effort required. This is the work of our primitive brain, which always embraces comfort and ease.
Brain Motivation #1: Avoid Pain
This describes the inclination to avoid or escape from situations or experiences that are perceived as painful, threatening, or harmful. Avoiding pain is an adaptive response at protecting oneself from physical or emotional harm. Pain signals danger to the brain.
The brain wants to avoid discomfort - no matter what. How does this show up in your everyday life? Think of the ways that you might avoid feeling uncomfortable: Putting off difficult conversations, avoiding cleaning out your closet, hitting snooze when the alarm goes off, or procrastinating when it comes to preparing for your upcoming interview.
Brain Motivation #2: Seek Pleasure
This refers to the human tendency to seek out and pursue pleasurable experiences or rewards. Seeking pleasure is thought to be related to the brain's reward system, which reinforces behaviors that the brain deems beneficial for survival. In other words - the brain wants to feel good.
The thing is, your brain - in it's pursuit of pleasure - doesn't differentiate if the activity is actually "good" for you. This explains why, even when you know it might not be beneficial in the long run, You might feel driven to eat junk food, drink wine, scroll social media, or lay around watching netflix in your PJs.
Brain Motivation #3: Use the Least Amount of Energy Required
The brain wants to conserve energy by keeping things familiar and efficient. This is an adaptive behavior rooted in evolutionary biology when conserving energy during times of scarcity was essential for survival. But today this can show up in the urge to be sedentary instead of participate in activities that require a lot of physical effort. Or why the effort required to change habits can seem insurmountable.
Why we Stay Stuck
Here's the thing about the Motivational Triad: It helped the human species thrive and evolve and this served us once, centuries ago, when survival was a true concern. But things have changed.
For the most part, we are safe now. We don’t have to put much effort into making sure that we have a warm bed, food to eat, and clothes to wear. We live comfortable lives, and we are used to this.
But our brain still hasn’t caught up to our evolution. It still tries to keep us safe by keeping us comfortable, in familiar situations, and staying on high alert for threats or disruptions in our lives. The brain does not like change and will do everything in it’s power to keep us in the status quo, even if that means keeping us from making changes that would lead to better results.
Our animalistic primitive brain and our prefrontal brain, which is responsible for planning, organizing, and creating, are in a constant tug of war. We can create anything, change anything, and believe in any result we want, but the primitive brain will continue to pull you towards safety and comfort. This is why new and unfamiliar activities can trigger feelings of discouragement, fear, and doubt. This is why taking risks, setting goals, and making shifts in our lives can feel absolutely terrifying. This is the built-in alarm system in our mind. It’s there to send danger signals based on old programming and well practiced thought patterns.
What is Required to Change
If we want to improve and change our lives, it will require courage and purpose. We will have to be motivated by the exact opposite of the comfort, safety, and ease that our brain wants. We will have to become aware and deliberate in the thoughts we choose. We will have to give up our innate instinct to seek “the easy road” and avoid emotional discomfort if we want to grow. If we want to evolve past where we are now, if we want to create something different in our lives, we will need to step into the discomfort of change, and into a new version of ourselves which is not based on the past and how we have always done things. It will feel more uncomfortable than just keeping things the same. This is why most people give up on their goals.