A dog’s motivation seems straightforward: offer the dog a treat, and it will perform
all sorts of tricks. Human motivations, however, are far more complicated. Food and sex motivate
us, just like they do most animals, but we often do amazing, brave, horrifying, or death-defying
things because of the importance we ascribe to intangible principles.
Millions of people around the world fast for religious or personal reasons, ignoring
hunger. Some people enter eating contests, which challenge them to ignore their full stomachs and
eat huge amounts of food. King Edward VIII of England gave up his throne to marry an American
divorcée, and Roman Catholic priests give up sex for their calling. Why would people do these
things? Food, sex, and achieve-ment are motivations for all of us, but motivation can also be as
unique as each individual.
