Optimal Arousal Theory

Definition of Optimal Arousal Theory

Why are some people motivated to push through a hard task while others are too stressed to continue? Robert Yerkes and John Dodson (1908) studied this question. Based on their research, they developed the optimal arousal theory (OAT).

What is arousal in psychology? In Yerkes and Dodson's theory, arousal is the state of being alert, stimulated, and motivated. OAT is a theory that explains what causes motivation: the desire to engage in a task. Motivation is the difference between "I can do this!", and "I can't do this. It's too hard!"

Fg. 1 Motivation, pixabay.com

Yerkes and Dodson said that motivation is related to our level of arousal. They believed that our level of arousal determines our motivation. There is a negative and positive side to this. If we are aroused or stimulated too little (bored) or too much (overwhelmed), we will lack enough motivation to do the task. If we are aroused or stimulated just enough (challenged), we will be motivated to engage in the task.

The OAT is all about the optimal level of arousal. Anything too hard or too easy won't keep us motivated. We have to keep challenging ourselves to stay interested in something. If we are optimally aroused and optimally motivated, we are also more likely to perform at an optimal level.

Your particular "sweet spot" in terms of arousal is unique to you. Your optimal level of arousal may look different than someone else’s. It will also change depending on the task. If you are good at math, your optimal level of arousal will be higher than if you struggle in math. The main idea is to determine and reach an optimal level of arousal so that you will be optimally motivated!

The Importance of the Optimal Arousal Theory in Psychology

The OAT teaches us that how hard or easy a task is will influence our motivation. Something that is too hard for us or way too easy will lead to less motivation and probably negative results in our performance. The OAT helps us better understand why we might feel more motivated to engage in one task over another.

If you feel overworked in your job and struggle to get through your tasks, you might be super stressed (arousal is too high) or super bored (arousal is too low). If you need to become motivated to do something that you really don't feel like doing, either lowering your stress or increasing the difficulty of the tasks can help increase your motivation!

The Yerkes-Dodson Mice Experiment: Stress and the OAT

Yerkes and Dodson were interested in finding out how stress impacts our level of arousal. Too much stress can cause physical and mental health problems. You probably think of stress as a bad thing, right? Actually, small amounts of stress are a good thing! Yerkes and Dodson found that a certain amount of stress (an optimal amount) increases arousal and motivation.

Yerkes and Dodson designed a small maze for mice. They added black and white doors in the maze as options for the mice to select based on lighting. If a mouse chose the wrong door, the mouse experienced a mild electrical shock. The mild shocks kept coming until the mouse figured out that it needed to choose the other door.

These mild shocks actually improved the performance of the mice. Yerkes and Dodson experimented with increasing the voltage of the shocks. At a certain point, the performance of the mice peaked and started to decline. Continuing to raise the voltage caused more declines in performance. The mice were too stressed!

Other studies have replicated Yerkes-Dodson's study (without electric shocks) and produced similar results. A certain amount of stress increases our arousal and our motivation, and it improves our performance. That certain or "optimal" amount is different for each person and each task. If the stress gets too high, arousal goes up, motivation goes down, and performance goes down as well.

Motivation and the Optimal Arousal Theory

The OAT is all about how an optimal or moderate level of arousal is the best in terms of motivation. What if we are below or above this level of optimal arousal? What if we are aroused too little or too much? Well, Yerkes and Dodson both agreed that too little or too much arousal negatively impacts our motivation and performance.

Another word for arousal is stimulation. If a task doesn't stimulate us, we won't want to complete it. We might feel tired or bogged down by the task because it's so boring! If we are over-stimulated, this can stress us out. We might feel frustrated or overwhelmed because the task is just too hard. That doesn't mean it will always be too hard; it just means that we need to change our level of arousal or change something about the task. Human motivation functions best at a moderate level of arousal.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law

The OAT is based on the Yerkes-Dodson Law. As you have probably guessed from the name, Yerkes and Dodson based this law on their studies about stress and motivation. The principle of this law is that arousal and motivation increase together until they reach a certain point. As soon as arousal passes an optimal level and becomes too high, motivation starts to go down.

Fg. 2 Yerkes-Dodson Law, Wikimedia Commons