Making the Grade
This episode with Dr. Laurie Santos explores how external rewards like grades and fitness trackers negatively impact happiness and well-being, leading to stress and undermining intrinsic motivation. It advocates for prioritizing internal rewards and systemic change to foster genuine joy in learning and life.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
The Historical Origin of Grades and Their Deep Impact
The Ubiquity of Modern Grading and Evaluation Systems
Case Study: Emma Lord's Experience with Fitbit Addiction
The Insidious Power of External Rewards
Research: How Grades Can Sway Core Beliefs
Research: Grades Undermine Enjoyment and Challenge-Seeking
Academic Stress and the College Mental Health Crisis
Physical Health Impacts of Chronic Stress
The Spread of Competition to Unexpected Areas Like Meditation
The Challenge of Implementing Grade-Free Learning
Alfie Kohn's Critique: Grades Undermine Learning and Motivation
Understanding Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation
The Counterproductive Nature of Rewards
Advocating for a World Without Grades
Reclaiming Intrinsic Joy and Purpose
4 Key Concepts
Extrinsic Motivation
This refers to doing something for an external reward, such as money, grades, certificates, praise, or to avoid punishment. It drives behavior by offering incentives outside of the task itself, often undermining genuine interest.
Intrinsic Motivation
This is the drive to do something for its own sake, because you find it inherently enjoyable, interesting, or satisfying. It stems from internal desires and curiosity, leading to deeper engagement and pleasure in the activity.
Fight-or-Flight Response (Chronic Stress)
This is the body's natural physiological reaction to perceived threats, activating the sympathetic nervous system to prepare for immediate danger. When this system is constantly triggered by modern stressors like academic pressure, it leads to chronic stress with detrimental physical health impacts like high blood pressure and digestive issues.
Grading on a Curve
This is an educational practice where grades are assigned based on a predetermined distribution, meaning a fixed percentage of students must receive certain grades regardless of their absolute performance. It is described as immoral because it fosters competition and implies that some students must fail for others to succeed.
7 Questions Answered
Academic grades were first invented on April 5, 1785, by Ezra Stiles, the seventh president of Yale University, who split his students into four categories: Optimi, Second Optimi, Inferioris Boni, and Pajores.
External rewards change behavior quickly but can also lead to addiction, turn enjoyable activities into sources of dread, reduce intrinsic interest, and encourage people to pursue easier tasks rather than challenging themselves.
Yes, a study showed that students randomly given an A for writing an essay defending an opposing view shifted their core beliefs more significantly than those who received a D or no grade, demonstrating that evaluation can sway deeply held views.
Grades undermine students' interest in learning, lead them to avoid challenging tasks by choosing easier options, and encourage shallower or more superficial thinking focused on passing tests rather than true understanding.
Intrinsic motivation is the desire to do something for its inherent enjoyment or satisfaction, while extrinsic motivation is driven by external rewards like money, grades, praise, or fear of punishment.
Constant low-level stress from academic pressure activates the sympathetic nervous system, leading to physical effects such as higher blood pressure, increased heart rate, quicker breathing, muscle tension, digestive issues, and even reproductive or sexual problems.
Offering rewards or praise for actions like sharing can make children more selfish because it teaches them that the act is about what they will get from helping, rather than the feelings of others or the intrinsic value of generosity.
8 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation
Focus on activities for the inherent pleasure and stimulation they provide, rather than external rewards like grades, app buzzes, or social media likes. This approach fosters genuine interest and happiness, preventing the loss of joy that extrinsic motivators can cause.
2. Beware External Reward Traps
Recognize that external rewards (grades, Fitbit buzzes, praise, money) can undermine genuine interest, lead to shallower engagement, and cause anxiety. While they may change behavior in the short term, they often devalue the activity itself and can even turn love into hate.
3. Manage Evaluation-Induced Stress
Understand that constant evaluation, like grades or social media metrics, can trigger a chronic ‘fight-or-flight’ response, leading to physical health issues like headaches, muscle tension, and digestive problems. Actively seek ways to manage this fear-based stress to protect your well-being.
4. Embrace Optimal Challenge
When engaging in tasks or learning, choose challenges that are difficult but achievable, as these are the most enjoyable and lead to greater satisfaction. Avoid opting for easier tasks solely to secure better external evaluations, as this diminishes pleasure and learning.
5. Shift Opinions by Arguing Opposite
To soften your own strongly held opinions or understand opposing viewpoints, intentionally write or argue in defense of the perspective you initially oppose. This simple act can subtly shift your own views and foster greater open-mindedness.
6. Educators: Abandon Grading Systems
If you are an educator, recognize that grades undermine student interest, encourage avoidance of challenging tasks, and promote superficial thinking. Work to eliminate grading systems entirely, as research suggests students perform and feel better without them, fostering a love for learning for its own sake.
7. Educators: Promote Universal Success
As an educator, your primary goal should be to help every student succeed, not to sort them into a bell curve. If grades must be used, strive for a system where everyone can achieve the highest mark, as grading on a curve is considered immoral and fosters adversarial competition.
8. Students: Choose Pass-Fail
If available, opt for pass-fail (credit/no credit) options for your classes, especially if the course content is intrinsically interesting. This allows you to engage with the material for the sake of learning, reducing anxiety and improving happiness by removing the pressure of letter grades.
5 Key Quotes
Every external reward has the power to turn love into hate and virtue into vice.
Dr. Laurie Santos
The simple act of getting that A caused students to change their core beliefs.
Dr. Laurie Santos
Grades poise in everything they touch.
Alfie Kohn
This is like showing me the first paddle that was used to hurt a kid.
Alfie Kohn
The more we tend to see life in adversarial terms where I can succeed only if you fail, the more all of us are dragged down to failure. Even the winners ultimately lose.
Alfie Kohn