why does a person need an incentive?

Answer 1

Being Human, you need energy to perform any task. Say, walking up a flight of stairs, this requires a certain amount of energy. We need an incentive to walk up that flight of stairs because there is no reason to walk up the flight of stairs for no reason.
Evolutioun found needing incentives favorable because those who needed incentive didnt do things that were not beneficial to oneself, thus wasting energy. Energy is not meant to be wasted, and 20000 years ago, when we were struggling to survive, we could not waste energy that could be applied somewhere else, more beneficial. So basically, incentives were programmed into our brains to keep us from waisting our energy on meaningless tasks.

Hope that helped.

Answer 2

It depends. Do you ask for an incentive to you mother, or brother?
I guess you'll ask for an incentive to a stranger. This does not only applied for humans only but also for other organisms.

Reading about kin-selection would be of great help for u.

Answer 3

We all like to rise to a challenge, reach the target and then congratulate ourselves. An incentive mearly oils the works to get there!

Answer 4

to do what? we are genetically programmed for survival, not altruism - we do things for reward - no matter what you do in life there is some reward - be it money, attracting a mate, to get a favour in return, to make you feel like a morally good person, very very few things are done purely for no gain - what would be the point?

Answer 5

I'd give you a really good answer, but I can't redeem these Yahoo points for anything, so why bother...

Answer 6

we are only humans dear-
like most animals we work on a reward program

There are only two modivators. Happiness and Fear in business.
SO pick your weapon.

Answer 7

Because otherwise they are too lazy to do the needed deed.

Answer 8

Because it helps

Answer 9

In my case it's so people can tell me I have a lack of it.

Answer 10

beacuse you are not going to do something for nothing its human nature