Whatever practical results parents might get from cash for performance at the kitchen table, the dangers may not be worth it. Monetary incentives for doing positive things—from homework to good deeds—can damage a child’s natural motivation to learn or do other things that are inherently rewarding. And that applies to not just financial, but material rewards as well, which can also reduce their children’s enjoyment and create anxiety.

Research has found that using material rewards for schoolwork can also cause anxiety and damage self-esteem, says John Woodward, Dean of the School of Education the University of Puget Sound. “Students focus on grades rather than understanding a subject, and this can make them anxious, as they compare themselves to others.”

Holly Schiffrin, a psychology professor at the University Of Mary Washington, says that such rewards for children undermine their intrinsic motivation for learning. In a classic study in which some children were given stickers for coloring and others were not, for example, those who got stickers as a reward began enjoying the activity less. “All people need autonomy, or choice in their actions, competence, and relatedness to others in order to be intrinsically motivated and happy,” she says. Material rewards reduce a child’s sense of choice, and, as a result, their motivation and enjoyment.