Biography

Dr. Bobby Hoffman is an Associate Professor, researcher, and author who specializes in motivation science and solving the mysteries of human behavior. At the University of Central Florida, he teaches a variety of graduate-level courses in motivation, learning, cognition, and intelligence. However, he is not your typical academic. Before earning his PhD in Educational Psychology in 2006, he worked for over 20 years in Human Resources management and performance consulting for some of the world’s most successful companies including General Electric, NBC, KPMG, and the NBA.

Dr. Hoffman is the author of five books including his latest bold blueprint “The Paradox of Passion: How Rewards Covertly Control Motivation,” that exposes the scientifically questionable yet pervasive narrative that intrinsic motivation and passion are the ultimate drivers of peak performance. This book simplifies complicated motivation research and cracks the code on neuropsychology, turning cutting-edge findings into powerful techniques that harnesses the power of brain science to maximize motivation.

He has also authored the popular book Hack Your Motivation, as well as the textbook Motivation for Learning and Performance, which when published was ranked the #1 new book in Cognitive Psychology according to Amazon.com. Dr. Hoffman is a regular contributor to the Psychology Today website where his blog “Motivate” has been downloaded by over 1.2 million readers.

He has authored over 100 publications in the fields of education, psychology, neuroscience, leadership, and organizational development. In addition, Hoffman has been Division C co-chair for research in motivation and cognition for the American Educational Research Association, the world’s largest gathering of motivational researchers on the planet. He has also twice served as motivation section chair for the American Psychological Association. He serves on six journal editorial boards including Contemporary Educational Psychology, Educational Psychology Review, and Educational Technology, Research & Development.