I'd Rather Have the Sleep

Odd synchronicity: this article appeared right after I republished mine about Drive. Great quote:

The deal the children struck with the experimenters ruined their love of art during playtime, not because they received a reward.

The act of reducing something to a deal, to a transaction, can take all the joy out of it, regardless of what you get. For example, if you are consciously or unconsciously thinking of something as a gift, turning it into a transaction makes it no longer a gift.