Is pleasure or pain the biggest motivator?

Question

Is love of pleasure or fear of pain the bigger, important motivator in our lives that rules much of what we do?

Answer 1

Pain...

BUT

It's a bit like asking: "Which is more important in a car, the accelerator or the brakes?"

Now I can tell you the brakes (Pain) are more intense and important than the accelerator (Pleasure), but it's not like you really have a car without both.
~

Answer 2

We seek pleasure to avoid pain. So are we running away from pain or running towards pleasure? The answer is both. Sorry, it didn't answer your question really, but you can't think of the world as black and white, this or that. The world is a mix of everything and it's a fine line whether we do something for fear or pleasure on every action. It could be fear or pleasure that motivated us throughout a day in a dozen different decision or could be neither, just habit. It's true mice would cross an electrified grid for pleasure, but when the same experience was done on humans, they reported only a mild feeling of pleasure. So if you're asking, what is ultimately the determination for choice, it would be pleasure, because that is why we are running away from pain.

Answer 3

i think the pain isn't the biggest motivator in our lives, pain makes experience not motivate, the love of pleasure is the biggest motivator in our live

Answer 4

We all crave and seek that which gives us pleasure .... whether pleasure is the goal, or pain ....
For some pain is that which gives the pleasure ... we all experience both in seeking that which we crave ..... sometimes its pleasure that gives the pain ..... the line between the two is changeable dependant on our goal ....
we are all self-centred in seeking personal satisfaction ....
our motivator in either situation is personal satisfaction through personal achievement.....

Answer 5

Did you read the Course in Miracles? Don't bother, because it states that death is not the answer, but after reading it you pray for death. Anyway, pleasure would be my choice as the biggest motivator.

Answer 6

well, technically, our brain and body contain no physical memory for pain, while it does contain physical memory for pleasure. meaning you can recall a pleasurable moment to the point where you can relive the pleasure, but you can't relive pain.

if you look at the mice and their electroshock studies, they will take a shock to get sexual pleasure, but not take a shock to get food. so i guess pleasure is a larger motivator, since hunger is obviously painful, but not a large enough motivator to releave the pain of hunger.

Answer 7

Love of pleasure is mine. For, I would die in pain rather than submitting to threat. I am blacklisted in France since close to ten years because I don't want to yield to implicit submission and I just know that I wouldn't get anything better but promises if ever I yielded.

Answer 8

Pain in terms of trying to control others.

Pleasure in terms inspiring others.

Answer 9

Short term - pain
Long term - pleasure

The reason? Because I am a kickboxer and I need to go through blood, sweat and tears to feel the pleasure of winning a fight/title.

Train hard, fight easy!

Answer 10

both compliment each other... till we don't receive pleasure in doing something we don't do it.. like even stimulants like getting better at something gives us the enthusiasm in doing something.. nad we don't think of getting better in something unless we have that fear of pain nad so we strive harded to do good at something.. so i think both are complimentary to each other and so hold an equal place in motivation