Incentives help to motivate and improve decision-making skills, a study by the University of Iowa has shown.

Research undertaken by business professors at the university highlighted the link between incentives such as money, and economically rational decisions. Without the use of incentives, subjects continued to make logically inconsistent decisions.

Findings from the study can also be applied to video games such as World of Warcraft or Call of Duty, where gamers receive points when tasks are completed. Once maximum points are rewarded, gamers tend to lose interest and move on to the next challenge.