Problem With Passion

Bobby Hoffiman

Passion, a strong inclination or enthusiasm towards an activity, subject, or cause, is often touted as a universally positive attribute. Individuals who embrace passion demonstrate a deep interest in and enthusiasm for the target of their affection, whether it be a person or an activity. Passion goes beyond mere enjoyment and is tied to feelings of powerful motivation and strong commitment to whatever drives the passion. 

This popular but myopic passion perspective suggests that passion is always desirable, and those with the most passion have better performance, well-being, and satisfaction with their romantic relationships. 

However, the glamour and glorification given to passion by the popular press in recent years are often based more on idealistic thinking than actual scientific data. 

The basis for the amplification of the prowess of passion is, in part, a function of assuming that intrinsic motivation and passion are one and the same. As the cliché now goes, "more passion, greater success."

Yes, intrinsic motivation and passion involve committed personal drive, interest, and enjoyment of activity more so than a focus on earning rewards due to passionate behaviour. However, passion has pitfalls, including overzealousness and the ability to complicate the thinking process, sometimes overriding the need for important logical thinking and reasoning, which, when absent, can result in some very poor decisions.

Additionally, excluded from passion interpretations is the reality that keen interest in a person, task, or goal can be for reasons entirely based on the payoff attained when the target is reached. While rewards mean lots of different things to different people, most are dependent on what a person values. In relationships, the rewards might be recognition for being a good partner, a thoughtful parent, or enhanced self-perceptions for being honest and attentive to the needs of others. At work, rewards are more materialistic and can include higher compensation, work status, and the perception of influence over others.

What you find rewarding is inconsequential to your brain as long as it's something. Regardless of preference, perspectives of passion fail to account for the brain's reward pathways. This means that your perception of feeling good is not necessarily a reflection of your behaviours but how those behaviours activate the mesolimbic dopamine pathway in your brain. This brain pathway processes rewards and reinforcement. Very simply, the greater the perception of reward, the better you feel, provided the reward meets your expectations. Extrinsically motivated rewards, like money or new knowledge, elicit particularly strong dopamine release.

Conversely, passion activates dopamine pathways to a lesser degree than financial rewards. Although passion still releases dopamine, as do other activities with intrinsic motivational value, dopamine production is lower. 

The role of passion is much more subjective and unpredictable, taking a backseat to the more predictable extrinsic rewards that your brain craves.

Ironically, romantic passion is closely linked to pain. The word "passion" traces back to the Latin "passio" or "pati" meaning "to suffer" or "to endure." The origins stem from Jesus Christ's crucifixion and suffering (i.e., the passion of Christ). Over time the concept broadened also to describe any intense suffering or enduring of emotion, especially related to divine or deep desire. Vocationally, the pursuit of passion assumes you have a job where there is something to be passionate about, which is more of a misconception than anything else. Many people are in mundane, repetitive jobs where the prospect of passion is not part of the position.

A recent survey indicated that 77 percent of the global workforce is uninvolved or unenthusiastic at work. No surprise, pain and suffering (in any form) can reduce your dopamine production, at least in the short term. Motivation research shows the powerful role of rewards to propel behaviour. 

While a strict focus on exclusive rewards can extinguish intrinsic interest, many people pursue task and relationship goals for extrinsic reasons such as recognition, influence, and social status. 

These extrinsic factors can be present with or without passion, diminishing the influence of passion as directly responsible for motivated behaviour.

So, the next time you jump on the passion bandwagon, remember your brain might like it more if you identified a specific target and did your best to meet or beat the goal you have in mind.

-- Psychology Today