Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Even if we don’t openly share them, most of us decide on changes for the new year. We often start strong and feel ambitious, successfully sticking to our goals for a few weeks. But what stops us so often from continuing? Is it a lack of motivation, limiting beliefs, or even insufficient dopamine to keep us going? Understanding the science of motivation can provide powerful help for taking that first step, maintaining momentum, and ultimately creating lasting habits.
The word “motivation” comes from the Latin “movere,” meaning “to move.” This refers not just to physical movement but also to emotional and mental action that drives us toward our goals. Motivation involves a complexity of brain activity, neurochemical signaling and physiological changes, and is essential when starting a new routine or goal.
The origins of motivation have been explored for centuries. Aristotle believed that human actions are motivated by the pursuit of happiness and purpose. Plato proposed that behavior is driven by reason, spirit and physical needs. William James, known as the “Father of American Psychology,” researched habits and willpower as key components of motivation. And Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs, which shows motivation as a progression from basic survival needs like food and safety to self-actualization.
Modern neuroscience breaks motivation into two categories, intrinsic (internal rewards like personal growth and fulfillment) and extrinsic (external rewards like recognition or money). Today we also often hear about “dopamine-driven reward systems” where competitions, prizes, or gifts are used to keep people motivated.
Motivation originates and develops in various parts of the brain. The prefrontal cortex, the control center for planning, decision-making and goal-setting, evaluates risks and aligns actions with long-term goals. Stress or fatigue, however, can disrupt this function.
The ventral tegmental area (VTA), part of the brain’s reward system, releases dopamine (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter) in response to anticipated rewards. The nucleus accumbens works with the VTA to evaluate rewards and provide the emotional push to pursue them. And the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) regulates the effort-reward trade-off, playing a key role in overcoming obstacles and deciding whether continued effort is worth the reward.
So motivation involves both psychological and physiological mechanisms, and understanding these systems can help us take actionable steps to enhance our drive. When we start something, the sympathetic nervous system actually activates the “fight-or-flight” response, increasing heart rate and blood flow to muscles. Adrenaline release enhances alertness, cortisol regulation provides focus and energy, and the hippocampus is stimulated, enhancing memory and learning. Regular engagement in new challenges builds neural resilience and adaptability.
Taking the first step in something new often feels hard due to decision fatigue, where repeated decisions deplete mental energy and reduce motivation. The initial effort required to start a task is also normally higher than the effort needed to sustain it.
Setting clear, achievable goals can help keep us motivated. We can use SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. And remembering that unfinished tasks create mental tension, known as the Zeigarnik effect, can keep us encouraged to act.
We can create reward systems for milestones along the way, such as treating yourself after completing a task, and practice new habits together with existing ones to reinforce motivation. We can also create “if-then” plans, such as “if I feel tired, I’ll do a 5-minute task” to help reduce cognitive load and make action easier. Visualizing success and believing that effort leads to improvement, and focusing on progress over perfection, helps maintain enthusiasm and helps too in developing a growth mindset that will keep us going. Sharing our goals with others also increases accountability and emotional support.
Remember too that stress reduces dopamine sensitivity and prevents motivation. Practices like mindfulness, deep breathing and physical activity reduce cortisol and enhance focus.
Taking action, even small steps, creates a positive feedback loop in which doing something releases dopamine, reinforcing the behavior and making future tasks easier. And of course exercise can be a huge motivation booster, as physical activity increases endorphins and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), improves our mood, focus and resilience. Regular exercise trains the brain to associate effort with reward, enhancing motivation over time.
So while starting something new may seem hard, approaching it with this knowledge makes it a lot more likely that we can create lasting change and achieve our goals.
References
• Robbins, T. W., & Everitt, B. J. (2002). “Dopamine and motivation.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
• McEwen, B. S., & Gianaros, P. J. (2011). “Stress- and allostasis-induced brain plasticity.” Annual Review of Medicine.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Springer.
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Ayda Ersoy is a nutritionist (Dip.C.N., Dip.S.N.); master trainer (CPT ACE, NCSF, CanfitPro); registered yoga teacher; founder, Health Angel Nutrition, Fitness and Wellness; and founder, SMS (Stability, Mobility Strength) Intuitive Training System.
