While it’s widely accepted that intrinsic motivation is more powerful than extrinsic motivation, rewards can nonetheless help to encourage people to pursue certain goals. Research from Cornell explores when the best time to give such a reward is to encourage us to persist with our efforts.

The study suggests that the best results emerge when we get the first reward after we’ve already completed a small piece of our task, with a steady stream of small incentives given after that. The initial bonus gives us a sense of accomplishment and that we want to keep earning more.

Well-timed reward

This differs from getting a more immediate reward, which produces very little impact. By contrast, a delayed initial reward gives us more time to work towards the first milestone, and therefore the first reward feels more satisfying. The string of subsequent rewards then reminds us that we can continue to earn more for future efforts.

The findings emerged after volunteers were divided into two groups and tasked with flossing for 12 consecutive days. The first group received a regular reward of 24 cents each day they flossed, with the reward starting on the first day. The second group was told they’d receive 32 cents per floss, but this wouldn’t start until the fourth day. The results showed that the second group flossed 15% more than those in the first.

This was confirmed by subsequent experiments, which also revealed that a string of small rewards appears to be more rewarding than a larger lump-sum reward. So, if you’re a manager, the takeaway appears to be that rewards should be delayed until someone has achieved the initial task, with a series of subsequent rewards then issued as progress is made.

“People care more about how long they have to work than about the size of the reward,” the authors conclude.