How motivation affects learning?

Motivation can have both a positive and negative effect on learning.  It has an impact on the quality and the quantity at which we absorb information.  From the negative aspect of learning, experiencing low motivation will directly affect our efforts to learn in general.  Low motivation will make it more challenging to engage in activities/interests that you normally enjoy doing.  So, if you typically enjoy learning new things, you may not take the initiative to explore new things.  For others that do not typically enjoy learning new things, you may ignore or avoid the task of learning something new altogether.  Additionally, the level to which you actually absorb and hold onto information will be impaired.  So, for example, perhaps you are learning a new instrument. You are going through a period of low motivation; you may absorb and understand the information, but perhaps your effort in actually playing the new instrument may not happen. 

On the contrary, having high motivation will support the desire to engage in learning.  Much more time and effort will be placed into learning something new without feeling like a “chore.”  Also, having this kind of motivation will likely support better retention of information because the engagement will be better.  You will notice the efficiency of what you are learning improves, saving you more time in the long run. Given this perspective, if you notice that your motivation is not optimal, you may want to think carefully about how much time and energy you want to invest in learning something new.

Life does not always give us the option to choose when we are in the right motivation frame for learning.  For example, if your boss/supervisor is instructing you to learn a new task/skill at work, there most likely be an option to opt out of learning this task/skill due to low motivation.  Instead, it might be helpful to evaluate what is impacting your low motivation and see if that is something you could address to help improve your motivation.  Is it stress?  Might need to explore some better coping skills?  Are you feeling tired or lethargic?  Take a look at your sleep and eating habits to see if this is something you can improve.