Goal Setting Based on Brain Science
Goal setting can have numerous benefits for our mental health. Goals can help us focus, alleviate stress, increase “feel good” chemicals in our brains, and can give us a general sense of purpose and direction in our lives. However, without proper motivation and safeguards, the very goals we set to improve our lives can have the opposite effect. In this post, we’ll explore a bit of research from scholarly articles as well as my own background in behavioral intervention to look at some of the ways goals can be harmful.
We’ll then look at how to ensure proper motivation when creating goals for ourselves, crucial questions to ask to create accountability not just for completing our goals but doing so safely, and finally, we’ll end with a route to create a game plan for naming and achieving our aspirations.
First – the research.
In our current social media-driven culture, #Goals has become a mainstay in the common vernacular. Self-care, self-improvement, and growth have become prominent topics of conversation. Many individuals and businesses are familiar with the term SMART goal. The concept has become so popular, in fact, that it serves as the foundation for many businesses and even education curriculum.
We become excited by the idea of growth and change within ourselves. There is nothing inherently wrong with being goal-oriented. As I laid out in my previous post, there are numerous benefits to creating and pursuing goals.
While many positive things have blossomed out of this current self-positivity movement, its possible that the attention on goal setting may accidentally overshadow some potentially harmful aspects related to goal setting. It turns out, goals share many similarities with medication – there is no one size fits all. When you take medication, you take it in particular doses to address particular ailments.
Unfortunately, just like medication, the idea of goal setting may be over-prescribed. In fact, research indicates that setting goals without proper motivation, expectations, and safeguards can end up doing far more harm than good. Even something as seminal and popular as the "SMART" goals paradigm can leave out many crucial details in creating goals that not only motivate the individual, but ensure their mental, emotional, and personal safety.
One study by Professor Max H. Bazerman of Harvard Business School and several of his colleagues looked at goal setting practices of several large-scale businesses. Their research discovered several side-effects directly related to goal and incentive programs including oversight on the part of participants, increased risk taking, and a massive spike in unethical behavior by those trying to meet the goal mark.
Individuals who participated in the goal setting programs offered by their employers as directed by the researchers placed so much focus on meeting goal targets that they overlooked other important areas int her jobs and their lives. Many of the participants even went as far as participating in unethical behavior in order to achieve the goal set in front of them. Sure, they reached their goal, but at what cost?
As a result of their findings, the researchers devised a series of fail safe questions to help businesses and individuals develop safeguards in creating goals in order to avoid these pitfalls. At the end of this article, I’ll include my own goal setting guide based on this research and more to help you create your own safe, healthy goals.
Goal Types Matter
Isn't a goal a goal? While it may seem a bit strange, the reality is that goals can be categorized differently based primarily on the underlying perspectives, expectations, and motivations of the goals themselves. Research has found that the TYPE of goals we set can have a dramatic impact on our mood, out over all outlook, even our personal character, even our mental and physical health.
Essentially, there are two main types of goals, “conditional” goals and “learning” goals. According to a December 2010 article in Mindfulness NY research journal, Conditional Goal Setting (CGS) is “the tendency to regard high order goals such as happiness, as conditional upon the achievement of lower order goals.”
According to this research, CGS has a strong association with depression and a general sense of hopelessness. With CGS, individuals operate out of the assumption that happiness can only come once they have achieved certain specific goals. There are two problems with this thinking. First, it creates a contingency -- if you DON’T achieve your goal, you DON’T achieve happiness. Second, it creates a false expectation on the goal itself. Even if you complete your goal, you may not feel as happy as you anticipated, or you may not have a game plan for sustaining that level of achievement after said goal is reached.
Conditional or Performance goals relate to the idea in psychology of a “fixed” mindset – the idea that basic qualities like intelligence or talent are fixed traits and cannot change. This mindset can create anxiety to such great extent that individuals may not even try to pursue their goals for fear of failing.
In contrast, this same research suggests that in setting goals, it is healthier to pursue what are known as “Learning” goals. A learning goal is exactly as it sounds, a goal with the intend of learning a new skill, acquiring new information, or developing new habits or behaviors. A learning goal is rooted in the “growth mindset” concept – the idea that traits, abilities, and habits can be learned and developed over time.
With this mindset, individuals are more willing to try new things, after all—when your goal is learning – both success AND failure lead to success. It turns out that old adage about Edison finding 1,000 ways not to make a light bulb is true wisdom. With a learning goal, you can attempt success without the fear of failure because it simply measures progress. As long as you end somewhere other than where you started, you’ve succeeded. Furthermore, even if you do achieve your highest desired outcome, you can still continue learning and growing. Essentially, you’ve made peace with the reality of the journey instead of only placing all your happiness in the hope of a destination.
In choosing our goals, naming our motivation is crucial. Are we pursuing this goal because we believe that this narrow definition of success is our only means of achieving happiness? Or are we simply seeking to grow and learn, being happy with progress over perfection? In chasing our goals, are we allowing ourselves to remain vigilant to ensure that during the chase, we are not ignoring other significant aspects of our lives? In chasing our goals, are we protecting the things we currently love about ourselves, ensuring that we do not lose ourselves in the process? By asking these crucial questions, we can begin to develop aspirations that truly benefit us without the harmful side effects.
Goal setting and Behavioral Science
This is an area where I actually have a great deal of experience. For nearly seven years I worked as a Behavioral Interventionist in Special Education. Part of my job was to assist in creating and implementing goals for student IEPs (Independent Educational Plan).
These goals were designed specifically for each student to help them achieve success academically, emotionally, or behaviorally. In creating these goals, we took special care to identify the specific areas in which we hoped to see progress while not ignoring the fact that the student was a whole person, and not just some kind of machine to program. In setting the goals for an IEP, particularly behavior goals, we go through several basic steps.
First, we identify the function or root cause of the behavior. This can be interpersonal, environmental, or some combination of the two. With students with was particularly tricky because we weren’t always able to just ask the students why the behaved a certain way in response to specific stimuli. Identifying the function required observing the student, getting to know the student, and trying to understand where certain behaviors came from. Understanding WHY a student behaves a certain way humanizes their behavior. Its not cause their BAD. Most human behavior is utilized to either GAIN or AVOID something. Nearly all behavior stems from a valid place. Our job was to simply understand it and help introduce new behaviors that can achieve the SAME function but with a more positive outcome.
After identifying the function, we then have to name a replacement behavior – what can this student do differently to achieve the same function without causing harm to herself or others. Instead of, say, hitting and screaming when you want a snack, you find a way to ask more appropriately.
Finally, in deciding on goals, we create benchmarks. Maybe, as per the last example, our ultimate goals is that the student would ask politely for a snack eight times out of ten. But, to lead up to that stage, we will need to break it down into smaller, achievable steps.
Once we have a game plan together, the team rallies together to help the student achieve success. We use positive reinforcement to reward the student for making safe, healthy, positive decisions. This can come in the form of verbal praise or some kind of token reward system. The idea is that we want the student to feel celebrated for making safe choices, recognizing how difficult it is for the student to change his or her own patterns and habits.
In naming our own goals, its important to keep our current habits, emotions, and patterns in mind. All of our choices derive from valid places and serve legitimate functions. Our brains FAVOR routine. If you feel like you watch too much TV, yet every day after work you find yourself planted in from of the screen for hours, before trying o change that behavior, start by asking WHY you engage I that behavior in the first place. Are you tired? Are you sore? Are you sad? Happy? Maybe the root cause isn’t the TV itself. Its likely something deeper.
Before you just say,” I’m not going to watch TV,” look for something you can do instead that will serve the same function. If you’re watching TV because you’re exhausted after work, maybe come home and take a hot shower or a twenty-minute nap. Maybe you’re not getting enough sleep the night before. Maybe your TV habits have nothing to do with work—maybe you just need a better sleeping routine.
The idea is that we need to do a deeper dive to get to the heart of our habits and behaviors before we can just start making changes willy-nilly. It takes some trial and error, so you need to give yourself grace. But as long s you keep trying and figuring out what works and what doesn’t, you’ll eventually land on something that will show positive results.
When all is said and done, goals require a game plan. As I mentioned earlier, many of us are familiar with the concept of "SMART" goals. SMART goals are a great way to begin thinking about not just WHAT you want to achieve, but HOW you want to achieve it.
However, in light of the aforementioned research, it is vital to question the underlying motivations of our goals. Goals should never be made impulsively. Goals should be given a good amount of thought and planning, Most importantly, goals should be frames with healthy expectations, that we can be happy with ourselves just as we are now even if we recognize traits and habits we hope to change, even if you carry in us bold aspirations.
So how do we develop goals?
Some of us may be able to simply say "I want to do this," and then just go and do it. However, to really set outrselves up for success requires thoughtfulness and planning. Here are a few things to consider when shaping your goals for the coming year.
1. Begin with self-affirmation
Before you start naming things you want to change or accomplish – why not name and affirm things about yourself –your body, your mind, your current life – that you already LOVE! What are you truly happy about and proud of in this very moment?
2. Think of things you aspire to, be specific.
A common goal is to “lose weight and get in shape.” The problem with this is that it is very broad and it lacks and clear definition. Why are you striving to lose weight? What does it mean to be “in shape?” Professional athletes don’t strive to be “in shape.” They have chosen a specific sport or activity at which they want to excel, and they practice specific exercises to help them do so. Instead of just saying you want to get “in shape,” maybe try to imagine something you hope to accomplish like running a half marathon, or going on a long-term backpacking trip, or learning to surf! Setting your sights on those things will require you to exert yourself physically, but for a specific and Positive reason.
3. Try to frame your goal in positive language
As I mentioned earlier, when our goal is to quit or lose something, we create a bit of a paradox. The more we think about our goal, the more we think about the very thing we are trying to quit, which in turn makes us more likely to fail. So, if possible, instead of creating a goal which will force you to focus on something negative, try to focus on something positive. Instead of saying “I want to quit eating fast food,” rephrase that goal to say “I will make all my meals during the week,” or something along those lines. Get creative. Some of your goals may overlap.
If you’re trying to quit something like smoking AND trying to get in shape, choose an activity that will require lots of cardio—hiking, biking, running, even free diving. Because those activities will require greater lung capacity, it will give you something positive to focus and will help shape your habits. Now, in the case of addictive behaviors, one aspect of your goal may require seeking professional help in conjunction with these other steps. However, if you are trying to quit something that you know isn’t good for you, try to give yourself a bigger reason to do so other than just “to be healthy,” or “because I should.” This will give you the best chance at success.
4. Identify how this goal aligns with your deeper core values.
Who is painting your picture of the good life? IF your main motivation to accomplish something is because you think you’re supposed to, you are setting yourself up for a major let down. Think about what you truly value and let your goals flow out of that. Don’t just try to lose weight because society values thinness. Love your body. Value your body. But also celebrate the fact that you HAVE a body. Move. Sweat. Work. Feel your heart racing. Celebrate being ALIVE! But if you find that you are truly happier and healthier as you are right now, by all means find ways to live into that instead of chasing someone else’s vision of the good life!
5. How are you going to measure your goal?
Deciding how frequently you measure progress can help you stay on track while also helping you avoid becoming obsessive. Even if you work on your goal daily, maybe only measure progress once a week.
6. Remain vigilant
In naming your goals, think through areas of your life you are not willing to compromise. What else do you value that will need to be protected as you pursue these goals. I once had a friend who was training for a marathon. She ate, slept, and breathed running. Unfortunately, during her training, she suffered an injury. Still, she was so afraid of quitting that she contemplated running the race anyway, even though several doctors had told her not to. She eventually decided to postpone her race, despite the difficulty. She recognized that it was not worth it to her to risk injuring herself more in order to achieve this limited view of success.
Eventually, she was able to train and run a different race! If we don’t set limits on our goals, they can become all-consuming and even destructive. You can strive to achieve a goal you deeply value so long as it doesn’t cost you too much of all the other aspects you value in your life. Follow those dreams, but makes sure that in doing so, you aren’t damaging something else of value in your life.
7. Who can journey with you?
The last step in shaping our goals is finding others who can help us in our journey. Who can laugh with you? Cry with you? Celebrate with you? Motivate you, keep you accountable, smack some sense in to you if you’re going overboard? We are much more likely to succeed if we have someone to encourage us along the way. After all, Frodo wouldn’t have gotten very far without Sam!
Are you hopeful for this new year? I certainly am! To help you set your goals, I’ve created this free downloadable work sheet. My recommendation is to print it out, grab a journal, and begin thinking through what you hope to accomplish this year. It will take time, but the good news is there is no rush. Don’t feel pressure to write out all your goals by New Year’s Day. Take time and really think it through. I’d love to hear what kinds of goals you come up with!
Here’s to an amazing 2020!