New research suggests that questioning your doubts about achieving New Year's resolutions could be more effective than simply staying optimistic. Psychologists have found that worrying about one's own doubts may actually increase commitment to long-term goals.
Published in the journal Self and Identity, the study challenges previous findings that doubting decisions about long-term goals reduces commitment. Lead author Patrick Carroll, a psychology professor at The University of Ohio, said the results counterintuitively show that inducing doubts about doubts can provide a formula for confidence.
In one experiment, 267 participants rated how much they doubted whether to continue pursuing their most important personal goal. In a second experiment, half wrote about a time they felt confident, and the other half about a time they experienced doubt. All then rated their commitment to their goal.
Results showed that those who felt doubtful about their goal and wrote about a confident experience were less committed. However, those who felt doubtful and wrote about a doubtful experience reported higher commitment. “Doubt plus doubt equalled less doubt,” Dr Carroll explained.
