Welcome to Amy Alkon's HumanLab: The Science Between Us, a weekly show with the luminaries of behavioral science.

Many people seem to think that the most effective motivation comes from outside of us, that motivating is something one person does to or for another. The studies done by my guest tonight, psychologist Dr. Edward L. Deci, find that self-motivation, not external motivation, is at the heart of creativity, responsibility, healthy behavior, and lasting change.

This is essential to understand whether we are trying to motivate ourselves or looking to encourage others to successfully motivate themselves.

On tonight's show, Dr. Deci will tell us what research shows about we go wrong in our thinking on motivation and how we can become more self-motivated -- and thus happier and more successful in every aspect of our lives.

Dr. Deci's book we'll be discussing tonight is "Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation." 

Join me and all my fascinating guests every Sunday (at our new half-hour time), 7-7:30 p.m. Pacific Time, 10-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, at blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon or subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Please support my show (and increase your confidence and become more productive) by buying my new "science-help" book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence.