What motivates us to speak up at work?

Loss aversion. Voicing your opinion can be tough at work, and a new study wanted to see what motivates employees to do so. Specifically, they wanted to see what prompts employees to speak up more: when a problem is framed as a potential gain or as a potential loss. In one experiment, researchers asked volunteers to write about a specific problem they were having at work. They asked some people to frame the problem as a gain (for example, “if the product is good, our company stands to make a lot of money”), and asked others to frame it as a loss (i.e. “if this product isn’t up to standards, the company’s reputation will suffer.”) They then asked people how likely they were to speak up about the problem. They found when people wrote about the problem as a potential loss, they were more likely to want to speak up about it. The finding held true across other experiments. But it wasn’t just any loss — people were even more motivated to pipe up when the loss was framed as a collective one. “When managers say, ‘If we don’t get this done, not only will you lose the $5,000 bonus, but everybody in this work group is going to lose a $5,000 bonus,’ it magnifies an employee’s motivation to act in a proactive way,” said study author Phil Thompson in a press release. “This suggests that framing work problems as what will be collectively lost - compared to what can be individually lost - makes employees want to speak up more.” Cringe factor. Can you laugh at yourself? A new study looked at whether having a sense of humor about our own harmless slip‑ups makes a better impression on people than cringing with embarrassment. Researchers ran six experiments, showing study volunteers people’s everyday flubs (i.e. waving at the wrong person or walking into a glass door) and then compared volunteer reactions when the person either looked embarrassed or laughed it off. Across the board, the laughers came across as warmer, more competent, and more authentic. Researchers suggested it’s most likely because observers felt like embarrassment was overkill for such tiny mistakes. Put simply, no need to cringe. Rethinking depression...We tend to see depression as an illness to eliminate, evidence that something has gone wrong in the brain. But what if low mood serves a purpose? Listen to learn more. Courageous people experience fear, just like the rest of us. But they have one interesting trait that separates them from most people — and it’s not what you’d expect. Learn more and subscribe to our new YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of our upcoming videos: Experience Hidden Brain Live at Stanford on Saturday, May 16. A decade of discovery, distilled into one unmissable event. Stanford alum and Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam brings his signature science and storytelling to the stage to share the insights that have captivated millions — and might just change how you see yourself. Do You Feel Loved? What’s the difference between being loved and feeling loved? Everett Miller’s Story: At 15, Everett was about to steal a shirt at the mall when a girl saw him and whispered, “It’s not worth it.” He stopped, and decades later, he still thinks about that moment. Don’t forget to send us the story of your unsung hero! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org. A man is pushing his car. He stops in front of a hotel and immediately knows he is bankrupt. How did he know this? What goes up, but does not come down? The answer: age Have an idea for Hidden Brain? A story you want to share with us? Send an email to ideas@hiddenbrain.org. Listen to us on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform.