Congress Will Offer Bribes

One of the first questions I'm asked by parents is, "Why should we pay/reward our children to do what they should be doing anyway?"

We can now ask Congress the same question: Why should you subsidize employers who develop wellness programs for their employees? And why should the workers be paid to take care of their health when they should be doing it anyway?

The answer is simply, "Because it works."

Research has repeatedly shown that when money is involved people act. They'll lose weight, stop smoking and keep their medical appointments. So, rather than castigate people who resist change, lure them with monetary incentives. We'll use the carrot rather than the stick because they're already using the stick on themselves.

A second criticism of bribes is that it removes a person's internal motivation to change.

There is some truth to that observation.

When a person changes his behavior solely because of external consequences, whether positive or negative, the new behavior does not last. As soon as the consequences pan out he'll go back to his baseline behavior. The external circumstances didn't take away his internal motivation; they overrode it. He may have felt a desire to do what's being asked - to do his homework, finish his project, eat healthy foods - after all, it's in his best interest; but now that there's no longer any payoff, he gives up.

External rewards need to be a bridge rather than a destination. They are meant as signposts along a path that the person has chosen, not one that has been imposed. No one can impose change.

So too, a wellness program needs to be voluntary for it to work. And its administrators can ensure success by being its first volunteers.