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The Power of Action.

17 May 2023 ——— 1 min. read

Why do people do things, and not just sit idly? Seriously. It bothers me that I personally like to do things more than not doing things. Weekends, weekdays, whatever the time, I keep doing things.

So I try to understand why.

TL;DR: We do it for survival, curiosity, and self-improvement.

Three major factors are found in both theoretical and empirical research to explain why humans engage in action: survival, curiosity, and self-improvement.

The first being about survival. The foundation of human motivation can be traced back to survival instincts. As explained by Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs (1943), physiological and safety needs must be met before individuals can pursue higher-level goals. Thus, the compulsion to fulfill basic survival needs propels individuals to take action and ensure their continued existence.

Empirically, research on the fight-or-flight response - the body's physiological reaction to perceived threats - has revealed that humans are biologically wired to act in situations of perceived danger (Cannon, 1929). The activation of this response contributes significantly to human survival.

Next is about curiosity. We are way too curious as a species. I'd like to break it down. Curiosity, as a psychological construct, is a robust motivator for human action. Grounded in information-gap theory (Loewenstein, 1994), curiosity is described as a cognitive state resulting from the perceived discrepancy between one's knowledge and the desire to know.

Empirical evidence illustrating the impact of curiosity on human action is abundant. A study by Kang et al. (2009) found that curiosity positively correlates with memory and learning, suggesting that seeking information to satisfy curiosity reinforces both learning systems and the motivation to explore further.

Last is a lot more internal and egoistic. Self-improvement. This, as both a psychological concept and cultural ethos, is a significant motivator for human action. This phenomenon can be understood through the lens of self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), which posits that individuals actively pursue goals to satisfy inherent psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Empirical studies support the connection between self-improvement efforts and human action. For example, Wilson and Doshi (2018) found that setting goals to enhance one's abilities could increase individuals' likelihood to engage in activities aimed at skill development.

Aside from these primary factors, it's worth acknowledging the presence of barriers to action, such as inertia, fear, and procrastination. To overcome these obstacles, one might employ cognitive strategies, such as reframing, or harnessing external support systems to enhance accountability.

So the power of action finds its roots in fundamental human motivations, such as survival, curiosity, and self-improvement. By examining these drivers and the empirical research supporting their influence, we can better understand the factors that propel humans to act and achieve remarkable feats. In doing so, we honor the age-old adage: actions do speak louder than words.