Paying employees to exercise doesn’t work, but taking money away might, according to a new study. Removing a small amount from a cash reward given upfront was more effective at promoting daily physical exercise than receiving a small reward for meeting physical activity goals.
Participants in a 13-week physical activity program were given a goal of 7,000 steps a day, and were randomly assigned to one of three reward groups: gaining a fixed reward for achievement, being entered into a daily lottery for achievement, or losing a small amount of cash that had been given at the start of each month. Participants in the loss-incentive group were 50 per cent more likely to achieve their daily goals.
Original research paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine on February 15, 2015.
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