What Happens In Your Brain When You Set A Goal For Yourself

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Video: What Happens In Your Brain When You Set A Goal For Yourself

Video: What Happens In Your Brain When You Set A Goal For Yourself
Video: "Describe A Goal That You Achieved Which Was Set By Yourself?" INTERVIEW QUESTION + TOP ANSWERS! 2024, March
What Happens In Your Brain When You Set A Goal For Yourself
What Happens In Your Brain When You Set A Goal For Yourself
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Goal setting is touted as the key to success by everyone, from coaches to MBA programs. It has been cited as the root cause of terrible "corporate behavior" and the engine of some of the greatest innovations of our time. How does one and the same method achieve such dramatically different results?

The answer lies in how the human brain works.

Goal setting is a surprisingly complex psychological tool. In this article, we're going to look at the powerful effects that goal setting has on the human brain, and how you can use this knowledge to set goals that promote the best, most efficient growth.

What happens in your brain when you set a goal for yourself?

1. Identity bias

Goal setting has a powerful effect on how we perceive ourselves. When you set a goal for yourself, you really seriously shifted your identity.

Why is this happening?

Because the human brain cannot distinguish between what is desired and what is real.

In other words, our brain immediately perceives the desired result in our image, establishing this result as an essential part of our idea of ourselves, our self-identification. If we have not yet reached the goal, then our new self-identification now does not correspond to our reality. This creates a state of constant tension around our identity, which our brains try to resolve while working towards a goal.

How to use it in your work: Don't be superficial about goal setting. Setting a new goal will have a direct impact on your identity (or your employees) if you set an adequate, well-thought-out goal.

2. The brain as a promoter

Our brains have complex mechanisms for reward and punishment. With every step along the way to achieving our goal, our body releases dopamine into our brain, creating a sense of pleasure. This hee

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The mental uplift keeps us focused and motivated. We feel good physically when we take steps towards our goal.

How to use it at work: Break down long-term goals into short-term goals with many measurable steps. This will create a regular reward system using "dopamine reward". Remember that humor is your friend - destroying the goal to the point where the first steps are laughably simple will become the fulcrum of your brain on the way to the main goal.

3. Brain as a punisher

Of course, if you do not achieve your goals, your brain will become a brutal punisher. Failure to achieve the goal means that the supply of dopamine will be cut off and it hurts. Your brain treated goals as valuable possessions, and bad luck triggers feelings of loss, anxiety, fear, and sadness.

How to use it in your work: Know that the loss of purpose will have negative psychological consequences. If your team was unable to achieve the goal for reasons beyond their control, discuss it with them. Or use failure to start a dialogue about new goals you will try to achieve in the future.

4. Jobless remuneration

When you have set a goal, your brain usually comes to your aid. However, there is one tricky catch - talking about the goal and not taking action, enjoying the reward of the anticipation of achievement. This behavior can backfire.

Accepting praise and compliments just for having a purpose will really make you feel good about yourself. Psychologists call this - creating a new" title="Image" />

The mental uplift keeps us focused and motivated. We feel good physically when we take steps towards our goal.

How to use it at work: Break down long-term goals into short-term goals with many measurable steps. This will create a regular reward system using "dopamine reward". Remember that humor is your friend - destroying the goal to the point where the first steps are laughably simple will become the fulcrum of your brain on the way to the main goal.

Of course, if you do not achieve your goals, your brain will become a brutal punisher. Failure to achieve the goal means that the supply of dopamine will be cut off and it hurts. Your brain treated goals as valuable possessions, and bad luck triggers feelings of loss, anxiety, fear, and sadness.

How to use it in your work: Know that the loss of purpose will have negative psychological consequences. If your team was unable to achieve the goal for reasons beyond their control, discuss it with them. Or use failure to start a dialogue about new goals you will try to achieve in the future.

When you have set a goal, your brain usually comes to your aid. However, there is one tricky catch - talking about the goal and not taking action, enjoying the reward of the anticipation of achievement. This behavior can backfire.

Accepting praise and compliments just for having a purpose will really make you feel good about yourself. Psychologists call this - creating a new

How to use it in your work: Beware of the impact of "social reality" by setting all goals to be measurable, and regularly track them in such a way as to visually represent your goal in comparison with actual results. In this way, the reward will help you motivate and not rob your brain's natural capabilities.

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Goal Setting Means Getting Out of the Easy Way

Goal setting has a direct impact on brain chemistry. Because of the tension that goal setting creates, the brain naturally prefers the inert approach - "let's just do our best." This protects us from the potential pain of not fulfilling the goal, but it also allows us to experience the satisfaction (and growth) that comes with progress towards the goal.

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