The willpower paradox

bobulate:

“To be willing is to be able.” Or so we have heard. But recent research shows that setting your mind on a goal may be counterproductive:

[The researcher] identified some key traits needed not only for long-term abstinence but for any personal objective, from losing weight to learning to play guitar.

And:

[One group] was basically putting their minds into wondering mode, while the [second group] was asserting themselves and their will. It is the difference between “Will I do this?” and “I will do this.”

The results were provocative. People with wondering minds completed significantly more anagrams than did those with willful minds. In other words, the people who kept their minds open were more goal-directed and more motivated than those who declared their objective to themselves.

The results seem counterintuitive, but:

[T]hose with questioning minds were more intrinsically motivated to change. …. Those who were questioning and wondering were open-minded — and therefore willing to see new possibilities for the days ahead.

As Jonathan Harris so eloquently puts it, guard your secrets, even those that you can only feel and sense, not state clearly to even yourself. Celebrate your lack of plan. Know what you want, but leave the future open.

Source: alexislloyd

443 Notes/ Hide

  1. youvealwaysgotmesmiling reblogged this from alexislloyd
  2. lisyeung reblogged this from bobulate
  3. threestreams reblogged this from bobulate
  4. lab111 reblogged this from justbrowsing
  5. julietlima reblogged this from alexislloyd
  6. timdidit reblogged this from bobulate and added:
    My oldest brother, Tommy, and I often...long discussions on productivity, motivation and...
  7. wunderbeast reblogged this from bobulate
  8. alittlebitofmoonshine reblogged this from alexislloyd
  9. nancym reblogged this from jonnytran
  10. so-treu reblogged this from alexislloyd
  11. thenutritionator reblogged this from veggieparadise and added:
    Interesting research! I’m glad this was conducted, because it’s something I’ve found to be true in my own life yet...
  12. joyuntiltheveryend reblogged this from mykou-
  13. kalinayn reblogged this from bobulate
  14. katybiz reblogged this from burningfp
  15. burningfp reblogged this from bobulate
  16. katelizabeth reblogged this from longlivethequeen
  17. sumayah reblogged this from bobulate
  18. 26kitties reblogged this from longlivethequeen
  19. youcleverfox reblogged this from longlivethequeen
  20. longlivethequeen reblogged this from fairphantom
  21. fairphantom reblogged this from alexislloyd
  22. 100in100 reblogged this from bobulate