The future of motivation

In this episode of "The Future of Everything," Russ Altman interviews Szu-chi Huang, a marketing professor at Stanford, about the science of motivation. Huang defines motivation as the drive to move from a current state to a desired future state and emphasizes sustaining motivation over time by adapting strategies throughout the goal pursuit process. They discuss applying motivational science to childhood health by using gamified coupons to encourage healthy eating in Panamanian schools, and to loyalty programs, suggesting companies tailor their messaging to focus on progress early on and purpose later in the journey. Huang also explores the social aspects of motivation, noting the importance of support in the beginning and the potential for competition to arise in the middle stages, and expresses excitement about the potential of AI to personalize motivation strategies. She concludes with practical advice for maintaining motivation, including jumpstarting progress, finding a supportive companion, and defining one's purpose, while cautioning against using a static approach.