As rational as it sounds, we may expect higher performance when the incentive given is also higher. But it turned out that it doesn’t always go this way.
At first, the appearance of incentive may help to increase the performance. It will give extra motivation for us. The more incentives we get, the bigger motivation we have, right? But then as the research has shown, up to some extent this formula doesn’t hold. At some extreme point, the gradient will turn into negative and produce an inverse-U line. Adding incentives can backfire and hence reduce the performance (that we intuitively think should have increased)
(image source= http://resource.fdsm.fudan.edu.cn/res/special/page89/images/pic2.jpg)
Truth be told, after this maxima, the more incentives will lead into the higher tension, the pressure is on! And in that situation, our performance will not increase anymore. The imagination of failing to get the extra incentive will weigh us down. Especially when we know that ‘we have the opportunity to get more incentive, more, and more, and more‘. It will prevent ourselves to make the best shot (although technically we have the capability of doing it)
This explains why it is very highly unlikely to achieve our goal when we are too ambitious or when we cannot bear the pressure anymore.
So, in order to keep yourself at peak performance, you have to find the point where nothing ride on your performance. It is when you let your body and soul dance freely.
In my personal experience, there were so many times when letting go and not worrying too much helped me to pass through the hardship. In those situations, you will realize that you can never control the past and the future, you know that you are the weakest creature on earth who can do nothing, cannot even guarantee anything about their own life. And then you know that the only thing we can do is keep on trying and giving our best at the moment.
In conclusion, I personally think that this is the reason why many spiritual teachings put emphasis on sincerity.
*written as the summary of a chapter on “The Upside of Irrationality:The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home” by Dan Ariely
R for Rounaissance 
