The Neuroscience of Goal-setting

We all aspire to achieve our goals. We all wish to have a fit body or crack difficult tests or learn an instrument or learn important 21st-century skills. But we fall short on its execution. Goal-setting requires self-discipline and personal responsibility.

This article talks about easy techniques that are backed up by neuroscience, which you can start using to Achieve your Goals!

The WHY of achieving your goal.

When you get down to the importance of your goal, you are able to activate the emotional systems of your brain. These emotions will be an important driving force for goal achievements. If you do not have a concrete “why” for your goal - then you are forcing your brain and body to do something that it doesn’t find rewarding. When we understand the why of what we are doing and choose to do it voluntarily, our body reacts positively to it. Our reward system (dopamine) increases, and blood pressure reaches an optimum level to further engage you in your task. You will stop seeing your goal as an oppressor and start looking at it as an encourager.

Technique - Ask yourself why you want to achieve your goal. Why do you want to crack that particular exam, get physically fit, or learn an instrument? What do you stand to gain from it? What personal values does it reflect on you? What kind of identity do you want to achieve?

The 85% Rule

Also called the Goldilocks zone. In this zone, you are able to make a goal that is not too difficult and not too easy. You experience success 85% of the time. But why not 100%? The remaining 15% percent poses a challenge for a person. When we encounter a minor error that we can solve, we get more motivated to rectify the error - increasing our engagement with the activity. If we did not have the 15% failure rate - we would find the task boring and leave it aside. Blood pressure plays an important role here. Where we want enough blood being pumped into the brain so that we engage. But not too much that we experience high stress and fatigue, resulting in abandonment. The Goldilocks zone ensures the optimum level of blood pressure to engage.

Technique - Break down your big goals into sizable bites that are small enough to consume but challenging enough to keep you engaged.

Visualization

How do goals generate? Our Default Mode Network - The wandering brain.

It Engages in daydreaming and automatic thinking processes. Fortunately thinking about our goal is easy. This explains the sudden bursts of motivation we get when we picture ourselves crossing the finish line of our goals. But this positive visualization is not enough. We need to also envision what would happen if we didn’t achieve our goals. By doing this, you will realize how badly you want to achieve our goal. And how badly you want to avoid the future where you do not achieve these goals. The avoidance behavior is a result of the fear and anxiety part of our brain called the amygdala. This powerful part of the brain will help you avoid the negative failed future and help you build towards your positive successful, goal-achieving future.

Technique - Ask yourself if you will still be stuck in this job? Will you never know what it's like to be in your most prime health? Will you always be underqualified? Would you always be known for being unskilled?

How to reward yourself?

Dopamine is a neuromodulator that makes you do things that you find rewarding. Eg: spend time with friends, watch Netflix, talk to crush, etc. You can use this neuromodulator to your advantage. You can reward yourself for your day-to-day progress. It needs a little setting-up at first.

Technique - As mentioned above, visualize and articulate your goals. Make it concrete, realistic and achievable (85% of the time). Also, assess your progress regularly. Spare 5 - 15mins a day and keep a record of all the different tasks you did that inched you closer to your goal. Reflect on the implications of your progress. This will intrinsically reward you for achieving a week’s worth of work. These reflections flood your brain with dopamine and a sense of achievement.

How can therapy help with goal-setting?

Therapy is a great space to deepen your reflections. A therapist is trained to ask you questions that help you articulate your thoughts. Their experience with other clients can help you to map out your plan succinctly and concretely. They are also a safe space of accountability for when you are falling short on your goals. And they can help you troubleshoot your way through it. Articulating your positive and negative futures in a safe space like therapy can further optimize your emotions for goal-setting.

Conclusion

Reflect upon the reason why you are achieving a particular goal. Make your goal challenging to engage you and achievable to experience success. Visualize your goals and what would happen if you did not achieve that particular goal. Keep a daily check-in on your progress so that you build your intrinsic reward system. Use therapy as a space to deepen the meaning of your goals and to better reflect on them.

References

Heimerdinger, S. R., & Hinsz, V. B. (2008). Failure avoidance motivation in a goal-setting situation. Human Performance, 21(4), 383-395.

Sasse, S. K., Greenwood, B. N., Masini, C. V., Nyhuis, T. J., Fleshner, M., Day, H. E., & Campeau, S. (2008). Chronic voluntary wheel running facilitates corticosterone response habituation to repeated audiogenic stress exposure in male rats: Original Research Report. Stress, 11(6), 425-437

Wilson, R. C., Shenhav, A., Straccia, M., & Cohen, J. D. (2019). The eighty five percent rule for optimal learning. Nature communications, 10(1), 1-9.

Venables, L., & Fairclough, S. H. (2009). The influence of performance feedback on goal-setting and mental effort regulation. Motivation and Emotion, 33(1), 63-74.

Disclaimer: This blog post is meant for awareness/entertainment purposes only. It is not medical advice and one must refrain from self-diagnosing. It is in no way a substitute for therapy with a mental health professional and it is not meant to be clinical. To consult with a psychotherapist on our team, you can contact us on fettle.counselling@gmail.com.