Category: Motivation

Americans are particularly prone to this limiting belief.

The key to more willpower is to believe that it is an infinite resource.

However, when people believe their willpower is limited, and needs recharging periodically, that belief becomes their reality.

The results come from a study which compared beliefs about willpower between Europeans and Americans.

Professor Christopher Napolitano, the study’s first author, said:

“What matters most is what we think about our willpower.

When we view our willpower as limited, it’s similar to a muscle that gets tired and needs rest.

If we believe it is a finite resource, we act that way, feeling exhausted and needing breaks between demanding mental tasks, while people who view their willpower as a limitless resource get energized instead.”

The results showed that Americans were more likely to believe their willpower was limited.

American said they needed more breaks and rest after mentally tiring tasks.

Europeans, though, reported they felt more energy after difficult tasks and ready to start something new.

The study included over 1,100 Americans, and 1,600 Europeans — around half Swiss and half German.

Professor Napolitano said:

“Your feelings about your willpower affect the way you behave — but these feelings are changeable.

Changing your beliefs about the nature of your self-control can have positive effects on development, leading to healthier behaviors and perceptions of others.”

The study was published in the journal Psychological Assessment (Napolitano & Job, 2018).

If you want to run more, use this thought as motivation.

Running is socially contagious, research finds.

Data from 1 million runners collected over five years suggests that the running bug spreads from person to person.

Just knowing other people who run is enough to boost your motivation, it seems.

Professor Sinan Aral, a study author, said:

“Knowing the running behaviors of your friends as shared on social networks can cause you to run farther, faster, and longer.”

The study’s authors write:

“On the same day, on average, an additional kilometer run by friends can inspire someone to run an additional three-tenths of a kilometer and an additional ten minutes run by friends can inspire someone to run three minutes longer.”

Comparing yourself with others can motivate you in two ways:

• When you compare yourself to someone who is doing better, it makes you want to catch up with them.
• When you compare yourself to someone doing worse, it makes you want to maintain your advantage.

This study suggests that comparing yourself to someone who is doing better has the stronger motivational effect.

Men are particularly susceptible to the competitive instinct.

Both other men and other women can fire them up to greater achievements.

Women, though, tend to be mainly competitive with other women and are not generally motivated by comparing themselves with men.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications (Aral & Nicolaides, 2017).

Research reveals people’s biggest regrets in life.

People are filled with the most regret about not fulfilling their long-held dreams and goals, research find.

In comparison, people do not regret failing to fulfil their duties and obligations as much.

In the study, 72 percent of people reported experiencing regrets about not fulfilling their dreams, in comparison to only 28 percent regretting not fulfilling obligations.

Similarly, when asked about their biggest regret in life, 76 percent mentioned something that was related to achieving their ideal self.

One of the explanations could be that it is hard to live up to your dreams.

Doing something about your obligations is usually easier as the action is obvious.

Working harder to earn more, attending a funeral or donating blood are all uncomfortable, but the path is clear.

With dreams and aspirations, it can be difficult to know where to start.

It can also be difficult to find the courage.

Professor Tom Gilovich, the study’s author, has this advice:

“As the Nike slogan says: ‘Just do it’.

Don’t wait around for inspiration, just plunge in.

Waiting around for inspiration is an excuse.

Inspiration arises from engaging in the activity.”

Often what stops people following their dreams is worrying what others will think of them

Again, Professor Gilovich says other people care less than you think:

“People are more charitable than we think and also don’t notice us nearly as much as we think.

If that’s what holding you back — the fear of what other people will think and notice — then think a little more about just doing it.”

The study was published in the journal Emotion (Davidai & Gilovich, 2018).

The researchers used some neat tricks to change people’s perception of the task.

People start a task sooner when they believe it is part of their present, research finds.

So, the key to avoiding procrastination is moving a task from feeling like part of the future to feeling like part of the present.

In the study, the researchers used some neat tricks to make people think a task was part of the present or part of the future.

In one, they gave some participants an assignment on the 24th of April, giving them five days to complete it.

Other participants were given the same five days to complete it, but were not given it until the 28th of April — so that the deadline fell in May.

People in the first group had the feeling the task was part of their present and so they were more likely to begin it.

Those in the second group felt it was part of May so were less likely to begin.

Remember, both groups had the same time — five days — so it was just the perception that caused some people to drag their feet.

Dr Yanping Tu, the study’s first author, said:

“The key step in getting things done is getting started.

If you never get started, you can’t possibly finish.

But that urgency, that need to actually work on a task, happens when that task is seen as part of a person’s present.”

The trick with starting any new project is to choose the easiest and/or most enjoyable part of it and do that.

Any way you can sucker yourself into starting will drag the task into your present and kick start your motivation.

The study was published in the Journal of Consumer Research (Tu & Soman et al., 2014).