The Science of Motivation and Doing What You Should | Dr. Tom Zimmer

Why can't you get yourself to do the things you know you should be doing?

It's not a willpower problem. It's a motivation problem—and there's a science behind fixing it.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tom Zimmer, a PhD researcher specializing in the science of motivation and a professor at Wyoming Catholic College. Tom has spent years studying why people do what they do—and more importantly, how to change it.

We go deep on the stuff that actually matters: how to motivate your kids to love the faith instead of just enduring it, why "good job" is killing your child's growth, the hidden reason boys are retreating into video games, and how the same motivational principles that apply to kayaking and skiing apply to your prayer life and your Lenten sacrifices.

I'm already thinking about how I can talk to my own kids differently. There's a reason some kids grow up loving what their parents love—and it's not luck. Tom breaks it all down with practical tools you can start using today.

Highlights
0:03:00 — Why the real problem isn't willpower
0:06:30 — Motivating his 8-year-old daughter to nail a kayak roll
0:19:30 — The problem with extrinsic rewards
0:43:25 — Why Dads need to visibly live their faith
1:01:00 — Why "good job" doesn't build self-efficacy
1:04:55 — Flow theory
1:09:45 — Why video games are engineered to exploit

Wyoming Catholic College: www.wyomingcatholiccollege.com

Read Dr. Tom Zimmer's thesis: https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=1422680

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