Experiment on Habit Formation Using Monetary Rewards
Prolonged Rewards Increase the Likelihood of Habit Formation
What if your ambitious New Year's resolutions always end after just three days? A study has found that a training method using 'monetary rewards' as bait to form habits can be helpful, drawing attention.
The online edition of the Japanese economic weekly magazine 'Diamond' shared tips on achieving New Year's goals on the 2nd (local time). The media emphasized that the key to setting and achieving long-term goals such as studying, exercising, and dieting lies in 'habit formation.' In other words, forming the habit of exercising regularly and studying consistently is a prerequisite.
The problem is that forming habits out of boring exercise or study is a tough task. The media advised, "To prevent New Year's resolutions from ending after just three days, monetary incentives should be used wisely," and introduced related research findings.
To set and achieve goals such as dieting and studying, long-term habit formation is important. Irastoya
The study divided college students into three groups to test 'which method of payment encourages longer gym attendance.'
The research team paid the first group 3,750 yen (about 35,170 won) for going to the gym once during the first week. The second group was also paid 3,750 yen for going once during the first week, but if they visited the gym a total of eight times over the following four weeks, they received an additional 15,000 yen (about 140,000 won). The last, third group served as the control group and was asked to go to the gym without any monetary reward.
What were the results? Both the first and second groups regularly went to the gym. However, the difference appeared 'after the experiment ended.' The experiment lasted five weeks, but the second group continued to visit the gym regularly even at week 13, when no further monetary rewards could be expected.
The media interpreted this difference as the "effect of habit formation," explaining that the monetary incentive acted as a catalyst, enabling the second group to form a regular gym-going habit.
However, questions remain. Why couldn't the first group, which received the same monetary incentive, form a long-term habit like the second group? To find the answer, the research team conducted a second experiment.
This time, the first group was paid 26,250 yen (about 246,000 won) if they went to the gym at least once a month, the second group was paid 26,250 yen if they went to the gym at least eight times in two months, and the third group was paid 26,250 yen regardless of any activity.
The results showed once again that only the second group formed a regular gym-going habit. In other words, the secret to habit formation lies not in the size of the monetary reward but in 'regular repetition.'
The research team emphasized, "When starting something new, humans feel initial resistance, which causes failure in habit formation," and added, "The key to forming habits is reducing this resistance through repetition."
The media reported that if incentives are used well, long-term habit formation can help achieve goals such as children's learning, changing eating habits, or New Year's diet resolutions.
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