What really motivates us?

Cool story on NPR yesterday:  an interview with Dan Ariely, author of The Upside of Irrationality, about how effective money is as a motivator.  More money, more motivation?  Sometimes.  More money, less achievement?  Also true:  we're more likely to choke when the stakes are high.

And how important is it to see our work last?  Ariely devised a fiendish experiment about that, too.

If you have eight minutes, listen to the interview.  It's fun, and there are surprises lurking.