tumbledry

Will I?

The Willpower Paradox: Scientific American says that asking yourself whether you will do something results in a more open mind that can accomplish more… getting you closer to your goal. Forcing yourself doesn’t work as well as asking of yourself:

And in this real-world scenario, he got the same basic result: those primed with the interrogative phrase “Will I?” expressed a much greater commitment to exercise regularly than did those primed with the declarative phrase “I will.”

What’s more, when the volunteers were questioned about why they felt they would be newly motivated to get to the gym more often, those primed with the question said things like: “Because I want to take more responsibility for my own health.” Those primed with “I will” offered strikingly different explanations, such as: “Because I would feel guilty or ashamed of myself if I did not.”

Brief Notes Nearby