Think hard before deciding on a small reward. You want the reward to have these three qualities: The reward should be appropriate to the goal. For Karen Pryor, chocolate was a perfect encouragement to get to class—a small, harmless indulgence. But for the man told by his doctor to cut back on unhealthful foods, chocolate would be counterproductive. The reward should be appropriate to the person. If you’re trying to encourage another person to achieve a goal, remember that one person’s reward is another person’s annoyance. For some people, it’s a great boost to receive a compliment every time
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