--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Gamification is designed to raise…" description: "\"“Gamification is designed to raise productivity where people would prefer to be lazy. In many contexts, laziness is the human default.”\" — Adam Alter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/adam-alter-29710_laziness_gamification-is-designed-to-raise-produc_2986458.jpg" --- # Gamification is designed to raise productivity where… ![“Gamification is designed to raise productivity where people would prefer to be lazy. In many contexts, laziness is the human default.” quote by Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/adam-alter-29710_laziness_gamification-is-designed-to-raise-produc_2986458.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/adam-alter-29710_laziness_gamification-is-designed-to-raise-produc_2986458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/adam-alter-29710_laziness_gamification-is-designed-to-raise-produc_2986458.jpg) > ““Gamification is designed to raise productivity where people would prefer to be lazy. In many contexts, laziness is the human default.”” [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gamification exploits the human tendency toward laziness, using game elements to boost productivity. **In simple terms:** Games make people work harder when they’d rather relax. Key Takeaway Design incentives that align effort with reward. Themes motivation productivity human nature Mood critical analytical Type theoretical practical When to use this quote - Workplace training - education platforms - fitness apps - customer engagement Key Concepts Behavioral economics habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure gamified systems foster genuine interest? - When does gamification become manipulative? A Different Perspective Over‑gamification may reduce intrinsic motivation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contexts Laziness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contexts-laziness-4672191/) [Gamification Designed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gamification-designed-4672189/) [Laziness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness/) [Laziness Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness-human-4672190/) [Prefer Lazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prefer-lazy-4672192/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) ## Related quotes > [An industrious sinner I much prefer to a lazy saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kerr/an-industrious-sinner-i-much-prefer-to-a-lazy-saint/) [Sophie Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kerr/) > [The pursuit of greatness means that laziness has no place in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/the-pursuit-of-greatness-means-that-laziness-has-no-place-in-your-life/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [Take yourself by the scruff of the neck and shake off your incarnate laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/take-yourself-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck-and-shake-off-your-incarnate/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“I seem to be allergic to diligence, and Lola said, Ha. What you're allergic to is trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-seem-to-be-allergic-to-diligence-and-lola-said-ha-what-you-re/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The three chief virtues of a programmer are: Laziness, Impatience and Hubris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/the-three-chief-virtues-of-a-programmer-are-laziness-impatience-and/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [If it is true to say of the lazy that they kill time, then it is greatly to be feared that an era which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-it-is-true-to-say-of-the-lazy-that-they-kill-time-then-it-is/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Laziness is the definition of being very active & doing nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/laziness-is-the-definition-of-being-very-active-doing-nothing/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake each moment, the effort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/proper-effort-is-not-the-effort-to-make-something-particular-happen/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) > [LAZiNESS and iNACTiViTY kiLLs as many peopLe as smoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonna-sanda/laziness-and-inactivity-kills-as-many-people-as-smoking/) [Jhonna Sanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonna-sanda/) > [Ricky Gervais captured the staggering laziness that comes with a boring job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enfield/ricky-gervais-captured-the-staggering-laziness-that-comes-with-a/) [Harry Enfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enfield/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [Procrastination isn't patience. It's a sign of laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/procrastination-isn-t-patience-it-s-a-sign-of-laziness/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) ## More by Adam Alter > [“DNA evidence suggests that Neanderthals carried a gene known as DRD4-7R as long as forty thousand years ago. DRD4-7R is responsible for a constellation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/dna-evidence-suggests-that-neanderthals-carried-a-gene-known-as-drd4/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Immersive tech like virtual reality inspires such rich emotions that it’s ripe for abuse. It’s still in its infancy, though, so it’s too soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/immersive-tech-like-virtual-reality-inspires-such-rich-emotions-that/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“humans find the sweet spot sandwiched between “too easy” and “too difficult” irresistible. It’s the land of just-challenging-enough computer games, financial targets, work ambitions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/humans-find-the-sweet-spot-sandwiched-between-too-easy-and-too/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“It’s hard to exaggerate how much the “like” button changed the psychology of Facebook use. What had begun as a passive way to track…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/it-s-hard-to-exaggerate-how-much-the-like-button-changed-the/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Tech isn’t morally good or bad until it’s wielded by the corporations that fashion it for mass consumption. Apps and platforms can be designed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/tech-isn-t-morally-good-or-bad-until-it-s-wielded-by-the-corporations/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Walter Isaacson, who ate dinner with the Jobs family while researching his biography of Steve Jobs, reports that “No one ever pulled out an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/walter-isaacson-who-ate-dinner-with-the-jobs-family-while-researching/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Super Mario Bros. hooks newcomers because there are no barriers to playing the game. You can know absolutely nothing about the Nintendo console and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/super-mario-bros-hooks-newcomers-because-there-are-no-barriers-to/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Meanwhile, in 2015, there were 280 million smartphone addicts. If they banded together to form the “United States of Nomophobia,” it would be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/meanwhile-in-2015-there-were-280-million-smartphone-addicts-if-they/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“They’re distracting because they remind us of the world beyond the immediate conversation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/they-re-distracting-because-they-remind-us-of-the-world-beyond-the/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“One recent study suggested that up to 40 percent of the population suffers from some form of Internet-based addiction, whether to email, gaming, or porn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/one-recent-study-suggested-that-up-to-40-percent-of-the-population/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“A behavior is addictive only if the rewards it brings now are eventually”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/a-behavior-is-addictive-only-if-the-rewards-it-brings-now-are/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Addiction originally meant a different kind of strong connection: in ancient Rome, being addicted meant you had just been sentenced to slavery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/addiction-originally-meant-a-different-kind-of-strong-connection-in/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“It isn’t the body falling in unrequited love with a dangerous drug, but rather the mind learning to associate any substance or behavior with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/it-isn-t-the-body-falling-in-unrequited-love-with-a-dangerous-drug/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“There is one subtle psychological lever that seems to hasten habit formation: the language you use to describe your behavior. Suppose you were trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/there-is-one-subtle-psychological-lever-that-seems-to-hasten-habit/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) > [“Remember: once your cucumber brain has become pickled, it can never go back to being a cucumber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-alter/remember-once-your-cucumber-brain-has-become-pickled-it-can-never-go/) [Adam Alter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) [Explore all 18 Adam Alter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-alter/) ## More Laziness quotes > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [The unpreparedness of the educated classes, the lack of practical links between them and the mass of the people, their laziness, and, let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/the-unpreparedness-of-the-educated-classes-the-lack-of-practical/) [Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Procrastination isn't patience. It's a sign of laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/procrastination-isn-t-patience-it-s-a-sign-of-laziness/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Prostration is our natural position. A worm-like movement from a spot of sunlight to a spot of shade, and back, is the type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/prostration-is-our-natural-position-a-worm-like-movement-from-a-spot/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/don-t-yield-to-that-alluring-witch-laziness-or-else-be-prepared-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [The biggest part of painting perhaps is faith, and waiting receptively, content to go any way, not planning or forcing. The fear, though, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/the-biggest-part-of-painting-perhaps-is-faith-and-waiting-receptively/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [“Don't you dare take the lazy way. It's too easy to excuse yourself because of your ancestry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/don-t-you-dare-take-the-lazy-way-it-s-too-easy-to-excuse-yourself/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The habit of taking the line of least resistance makes all rivers and some men crooked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-habit-of-taking-the-line-of-least-resistance-makes-all-rivers-and/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [A successful relationship requires a lot of work, unfortunately some people aren't always willing to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/a-successful-relationship-requires-a-lot-of-work-unfortunately-some/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Some women just skip having babies or adopt because they don't want to get fat or they haven't put in the time to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-pressly/some-women-just-skip-having-babies-or-adopt-because-they-don-t-want/) [Jaime Pressly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-pressly/) > [The biggest trap, the biggest dungeon in life isn't laziness or bad luck, it's comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-biggest-trap-the-biggest-dungeon-in-life-isn-t-laziness-or-bad/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Opportunity knocks but some people are too busy watching TV.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/opportunity-knocks-but-some-people-are-too-busy-watching-tv/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) [Browse all 862 Laziness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Gamification is designed to raise productivity where people would prefer to be lazy. 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