Treating love for work like a virtue can backfire on employees and teams

By: Mijeong Kwon, Rice University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 25, 2025

Words: 1,067

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Mijeong Kwon, Rice University

It’s popular advice for new graduates: “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Love for one’s work, Americans are often told, is the surest route to success.

As a management professor, I can attest that there is solid research supporting this advice. In psychology, this idea is described as “intrinsic motivation” – working because you find the work itself satisfying. People who are …

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