And yet, the results in this article show extrinsic motivators to be beneficial to performance on some cognitive activities. Seems like it's an area that merits more research.
On a slightly more meta level, it seems like TED and Gladwell are making more topics bikesheddable.
Re: Meta - Perhaps, although the talk on Daniel Pink was something that was first shown to me in a class. After seeing it, I decided to read his book on my own time.
Also, for anyone who is interested in the book, I recommend just watching the video as it sums EVERYTHING up. The book just provides slightly more evidence and explanation.
On a slightly more meta level, it seems like TED and Gladwell are making more topics bikesheddable.