Thursday, August 4, 2011, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, August 7, 2011, 7:30 a.m.
| Variety and Motivation |
As the old saying goes, variety is spice of life. It turns out, it’s also the key to keeping yourself motivated to meet your goals when you haven’t yet made much progress. The catch: if you are almost at your goal, less variety is more motivating.
In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up with the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, PhD candidate Jordan Etkin talks about her research that finds variety has a huge impact on motivation.
Etkin and Rebecca Ratner, associate professor of marketing at the Smith School, looked at how variety among products people use to meet their goals affects their motivation. The researchers tested their theories with five studies, several using fitness goals and variety packs of flavored Power Bars, protein powders and shakes. Etkin’s previous career as a personal trainer sparked her interest in studying variety and motivation -- she’d create fitness plans with lots of variety for new clients, but stick to a less varied routine when working out herself.
Smith Business Close-Up is co-produced by the Robert H. Smith School of Business and Maryland Public Television. The television segment focuses on the latest thinking in business management, and features in-depth interviews with Smith School faculty and other members of the school’s community of business leaders.
Where to Watch
Smith Business Close-Up can be seen bi-weekly on Maryland Public Television's Your Business and Money. The program airs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and is repeated the following Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on public television stations throughout Maryland and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, including:
- WMPB-TV (Ch. 67), Baltimore
- WMPT-TV (Ch. 22), DC metro/Annapolis
- WCPB-TV (Ch. 28), Salisbury
- WFPT-TV (Ch. 62), Frederick
- WWPB-TV (Ch. 31), Hagerstown
- WGPT-TV (Ch. 36), Oakland
Media Contact
Greg Muraski
Media Relations Manager
301-405-5283
301-892-0973 Mobile
gmuraski@umd.edu
About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master’s, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.