How Important Is Passion? What does it have to do with culture?
Imagine that you are hiring someone for a vacancy or accepting students in a college, and one of the applicants expressed their great passion for work. At the same time, another indicated that their family encouraged them to work in that institution or continue their studies at that university, which is the application you will most likely accept.
According to a new study by Stanford University, researchers have found that passion is not the strong foundation for achievement and that the culture in which a person grew up makes a big difference, which means that universities and companies that rely on candidates' passion lack talented people.
A study published in the National Academy of Sciences found that passion, measured by interest, pleasure, and effectiveness, is a stronger predictor of achievement in certain societies than others, said Xingyu Li, a doctoral student at Stanford University's Graduate School and principal investigator of the study. The research is novel in its approach to using big data to assess cultural differences in the real world, and it compares a broader range of culturally diverse societies than previous studies examining the relationship between passion and achievement.
The study results indicate that hiring managers and university staff typically rely on 'passion' as the head metric for accepting candidates. This means they risk losing talented students and staff who come from different social and cultural backgrounds and may be motivated and effective. So, we must make admissions and hiring processes fair to people from diverse backgrounds, Shinju said.
Different Models of Stimulation:
The researchers analyzed the results of three years of the International Student Assessment Program, the only test widely administered to students worldwide, and the data - which includes scores from 1.2 million high school students in 59 countries – also includes student assessments in terms of interest, enjoyment, and effectiveness in science, reading, and mathematics, which the researchers used to measure students' level of passion.
Those who felt passionate about math, science, or reading were more likely to get better grades in each subject, but this happened more in “individual ”-oriented cultures like the United States and Australia than in group-oriented societies like China, Thailand, and Colombia, where students felt family support to their advantage was too important.
Individual-oriented states, including many Western, industrialized, affluent, and democratic states, see each individual as a source of motivation for themselves. In contrast, collective societies see people as interconnected and part of a web of relationships, roles, and responsibilities.
Researchers have written that better-predicting passion for achievement reflects a Western and prominent model of motivation. Still, motivation takes different forms in different social and cultural contexts. They have noted that languages, such as Mandarin and Thai, need a direct translation of the word passion in the sense of intellectual interest. Researchers say that the philosophies of achievement of a particular culture, patterns of socialization, and educational standards influence motivation.
Hazel Rose Markus, a professor of psychology at Stanford University's School of Humanities and Science, said: “There is a common and effective model of motivation in many parts of the world, even in the individually oriented United States. People with East Asian or Latin American heritage may be more familiar with and practice an interconnected motivation style because of the greater focus on relationships in these communities.”
Rethinking assumptions:
Xingyu shared her experience as a passionate person with a collective cultural background: “I was born in Beijing. I was excited to learn English after becoming a Chelsea Football Club fan in the Premier League. I also had strong family support; my parents encouraged me to pursue my academic and extracurricular interests. They supported my studies at Stanford University, and when I was in high school, they allowed me to travel to Guangzhou - China's third largest city - to watch a Chelsea game.”
In dealing with different cultures, Xingyu has noticed differences in how people in China and the United States think about motivation. For example, in Wong Kar-wai and The Grandmaster, the famous martial arts teacher Ip Man never said he had a personal passion for kung fu; he was motivated by mastery and a desire to live up to what his commitment to his teacher and his community symbolizes: physical prowess at the service of honesty, integrity, and decency.
Culture is important:
The researchers stress that the individual model of motivation could be more objectively better. In the United States, performing well because of what others expect may seem like a lack of potential, a sign that you've been forced to do what's needed. Still, interconnected forms of motivation don't reinforce that impression, don't hurt personal autonomy, and may also be a source of empowerment, perseverance, and resilience.
Markus said, “Motivation can be enhanced by meeting expectations and contributing to the success and safety of your family and others close to you.” A professor of education and psychology at Stanford University and co-author of the study Geoffrey Cohen said that The findings enable the design of educational activities that not only rely on the Western idea of developing individualized passion and perseverance but engage parents, teachers, and peers to create more collective motivational systems. "We will be better able to unleash the potential of our students and workforce if we better understand the motivations that drive people from a wide range of backgrounds.”