Imagine receiving a guaranteed income of €5,000 per month for the rest of your life. Your basic financial needs are covered, freeing you from the pressure to work for survival. Now, ask yourself:

• What would you do with your time?

• Would you still work?

• If so, would you consider it “work,” or would it become something else—perhaps a calling, a passion, or even play?

This thought experiment leads us into the complex debate around intrinsic motivation—the drive to engage in activities for their inherent satisfaction rather than for external rewards like money, status, or recognition. Many assume that intrinsic motivation is about doing what you love, but research suggests it’s not that simple. It often intersects with reward systems, obligation, habit, identity, and how we define work.

Let’s explore this question using psychology, neuroscience, and practical application, helping you reflect on your own motivations and how they shape your professional and personal fulfillment.

What Is Work? A Scientific Definition

Before diving into whether you would continue working, we must define work. According to organisational psychology and economics, work is generally defined as:

“A purposeful activity involving effort, directed toward achieving a result, often with economic compensation or social utility.”

The International Labour Organization (ILO) describes work as “any activity performed to produce goods or services for use by others or oneself, regardless of pay or employment status.” This means work is not necessarily paid labor—it can include unpaid caregiving, volunteering, or creative endeavors that serve a purpose.

However, psychology differentiates between work for survival and work for meaning. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the father of flow theory, found that people experience the most satisfaction when they engage in challenging but enjoyable tasks, whether paid or unpaid. This suggests that work is not just about earning money but about engaging in something meaningful.

Liking vs. Loving: The Depth of Motivation

One of the biggest misconceptions in the intrinsic motivation debate is the assumption that people should simply “do what they love.” But what does that actually mean?

Liking Something vs. Loving Something

• Liking is a surface-level preference—an activity you enjoy but can easily replace with another. For example, you might like painting, cooking, or hiking, but they are not necessarily things you would dedicate your life to.

• Loving something means it is deeply ingrained in your identity. You are willing to suffer for it, improve at it, and persist through challenges. Love brings commitment, while liking something is often casual.

Psychologist Angela Duckworth’s research on grit highlights that those who achieve long-term success are not just passionate but perseverant in what they love. They push through difficulties because their motivation is internal and unshakable.

Now, back to the €5,000-a-month scenario:

• If you like something but don’t love it, you might do it occasionally but drop it when faced with difficulty.

• If you love something, you will continue doing it even when it’s hard, even when there’s no external reward.

Obligation vs. Fun: The Psychological Shift

A key part of intrinsic motivation is how we perceive an activity—as an obligation or as fun.

• Obligation is tied to external expectations—doing something because you must. This often reduces intrinsic motivation, especially if the task lacks personal meaning.

• Fun is an activity done for joy, engagement, and self-expression. When an activity feels fun, it triggers dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical, making us want to repeat it.

However, something interesting happens when we turn fun into obligation:

• If you love writing but are forced to produce articles on a deadline, it may start feeling like work, even though it once felt like play.

• If you enjoy cooking but suddenly have to run a restaurant, it may shift from a passion to a burden.

This is why many people lose their love for creative pursuits when they turn them into full-time jobs. The external pressure to perform changes the experience.

What You Think You Want vs. What You Are Wired For

Many of our desires are shaped by conditioning, habit, and identity rather than pure intrinsic motivation.

• What You Used to Love: Sometimes, we continue doing something because we loved it in the past, even if it no longer excites us. For example, a person who loved competitive sports in their 20s might keep training in their 40s, even though their motivation has shifted.

• What You Used to Do: If you’ve spent years in a profession, it can be hard to imagine doing anything else. Many high-achievers fear stepping away from their careers because they are deeply identified with them, not necessarily because they still love them.

• What You Think You Want: People often chase goals that society, family, or past versions of themselves told them were important. Someone might think they want success in corporate leadership but later realize they crave freedom and creativity more.

• What You Are Wired For: Neuroscience shows that habits and identity shape our decisions more than we think. If you have always been a problem-solver, you will likely gravitate toward complex challenges—whether paid or unpaid—because that’s how your brain is wired.

How This Affects Motivation

If you were given financial security, you might:

• Continue what you used to do out of habit, not because it still excites you.

• Realize that some things you thought you wanted were actually obligations shaped by external expectations.

• Feel lost at first, needing time to rediscover what truly energizes you.

Would You Still “Work” Without Financial Pressure?

1. If You Continue Working: Work Becomes Purpose

For many, the answer is yes, but the reason shifts from survival to purpose. Studies on universal basic income (UBI) experiments show that even when people receive a steady income, most continue working—not necessarily for financial gain, but for fulfilment, routine, and social connection.

Examples include:

• Scientists who continue researching after retirement.

• Entrepreneurs who build businesses even after financial success.

• Coaches, teachers, or healers who help others despite financial security.

For these individuals, work becomes a vehicle for purpose, not just economic necessity.

2. If You Stop “Working”: Purpose May Shift Elsewhere

On the other hand, some people might step away from structured work entirely, choosing instead to:

• Travel and explore different cultures.

• Dedicate themselves to hobbies, art, or creative pursuits.

• Focus on family, community, or personal growth.

Would this still be considered work? If work is defined as effort toward a goal, then even unpaid activities that require discipline and skill can be classified as work. However, without external obligations, they might feel more like play or self-expression.

Conclusion: Work, Purpose, or Play?

The answer to whether you’d still work depends on your personal values and definitions of success. Some would redefine work as purpose, continuing structured activities that bring meaning. Others might step away from traditional work but find new purpose in creativity, relationships, or exploration.

Ultimately, intrinsic motivation is not about whether you “work” or not, but about why and how you engage with the world. Whether you call it work, purpose, or play, the key is to choose activities that energise you—because when you do, the line between work and passion disappears.

What About You?

If you had financial security, what would you do? Would you still “work”? And if so, would you do what you do now? Reflecting on this question might just reveal what truly drives you.

Final Reflection: A Roadmap to Fulfilment

Your answer to this question isn’t just a thought experiment—it’s a compass for aligning your work with what truly energises you. Even if financial freedom isn’t immediate, small shifts in perspective, priorities, and daily choices can bring you closer to work that feels like purpose, not obligation. The key isn’t to escape work but to reshape it into something intrinsically meaningful—so that, whether paid or not, it’s something you’d choose to do anyway.