Better, higher, faster: How do social networks help to achieve their goals
The tradition to set goals for the next year seems to be connected with personal aspirations, but at the same time there is a certain collective spirit in it. In the end, everyone does it. And if you ever went to Facebook or Twitter in December, you most likely saw a stream of statuses with plans for the future - both witty and deadly serious - random people, former classmates, unfamiliar colleagues and, perhaps, even your own grandmother.
This need to inform the world: a) about their shortcomings and b) about the intention to correct them in the next 12 months - raises some questions. Is it true that having posted a promise to ourselves in the social network, we are more likely to keep it? Experts, from psychologists to self-development theorists, explain whether this makes sense and how it works.
We sometimes use social media as a mirror through which we study ourselves. We invest a lot of time and effort in this modification of our image, because we are in a sense re-inventing ourselves, creating a more positive version, consciously or unconsciously. This is reflected in how carefully we select all the elements that make up our profile. We choose more attractive photos, select a list of favorite movies, books or records so that it impresses others, send friend requests, not only to friends and acquaintances, but also to people whom we respect and would like to associate.
The theory of self-perception asserts that people tend to change their belief system, observing their own behavior and drawing conclusions about how behavior depends on the belief system. That is, an individual evaluates his behavior from rational positions, just as he tries to perceive the behavior of others. Understanding this helps explain how profiling in social networks is able to develop positive self-perception and affects our psychological well-being.
Publication of personal goals in the social network stimulates the consistency and loyalty to the task. First, we are responsible to ourselves. In order not to disrupt our positive self-perception, we have to meet and go to the goal that we have set. You can consider your statuses as a diary, just laid out on public display. The mere fact of publication is much more important than if we promised something to ourselves or a friend at the meeting. In addition, there is a so-called AA effect. Alcoholics Anonymous gather in groups to help achieve sobriety and keep it. Such groups practice round-the-clock social support, where participants set an example for each other and give advice based on personal experience — all of which explains how the mechanism of such communities works. Constant external circumstances and the way we deal with them play a huge role in shaping our behavior — far more than short-term and transient.
Social media is a great way to achieve your goals, especially if they are specific goals that need to be overcome. People want to be and be perceived as successful, able to act effectively. But they also want to be and be perceived as a whole person, responsible for their words with actions. Telling the world about our intentions with the help of social networks, we will most likely follow them: public statements are extremely effective, and social networks are an extremely effective platform for doing them.
According to statistics, at this time of year, 40% of US adults give New Year promises, continuing the tradition dating back to Roman times. The Romans, however, promised to behave well to the two-faced god Janus, after whom January was named. My colleagues and I have conducted more than one study of changes in human behavior, in particular, in connection with such promises. And the results are such that a little less than half of the people who are serious about the result really achieve it within six months. So, in contrast to the widespread opinion, a significant number of people who have given themselves a vow, really perform the task. Watching them, we came to the conclusion that a public promise, unlike a private one, increases the chances of success. Probably, this is influenced by a number of reasons: this is a noticeably greater responsibility - we are raising the stakes, and the possibility of embarrassment at a potential failure is much higher. On the contrary, with a good scenario, we are waiting for massive encouragement and support. Decades of such research lead us to the conclusion that social support and relationships, in which there is a place for help, markedly contribute to success in various undertakings. That is, the mutual support system really works! It does not matter who provides it - colleagues, family members, friends or subscribers in social networks.
The support of others is most important not in the first weeks after setting the goal, but a month after working on its achievement. When the enthusiasm of the first weeks comes to naught, you make blunders, make indulgences and the temptation to send everything to hell grows, it is the support of loved ones that becomes the main support.
Public promises and putting a list of goals for a year in social networks can help to achieve them, but the effect will be small and not too noticeable in the long term. In any case, it makes sense to make additional efforts - here are a number of tips with proven effectiveness:
Track progress: write or tabulate all intermediate results and changes on the way to the goal. Studies show that self-control increases the likelihood of achieving the task.
Agree with others to help, rather than hinder you in achieving the goal. Try to avoid situations that could lead to a breakdown on the way to the task. Surround yourself with things and people that will be positive reminders of the desired result.
Encourage yourself for success. Please yourself for each intermediate achievement of the result of some (healthy) reward or compliment. You can negotiate with someone from the family, so that they are engaged in your promotion.
Develop new habits that will help you achieve your goals. For example, work on confidence if your goal is to overcome indecision. Learn to relax if you want to reduce stress.
Be prepared for failures and breakdowns. Think in advance of a plan that will help to cope with negative emotions due to mistakes made. Can help anything - call a friend, get distracted, do not hesitate to leave the place or company that provoked failure. The main thing - remember that one mistake does not mean at all that you have failed the entire mission.
According to recent studies, SMS correspondence and notifications from applications help in achieving goals. I suppose that this is due to the fact that they simultaneously serve as reminders, praise and provide an opportunity to track progress. In this sense, specialized applications are a good helper. They help to systematically move to the goal, sending the user proven tips, methods and reminders.
Anyway, if you set a realistic goal and come up with a plan for how to achieve it, be sure to write about it in social networks! After that, it will only be necessary to make additional efforts and use proven techniques to bring the conceived to the end in the long term.
Every time you write down a goal and - especially - when you give a public promise, the chance that you will fulfill it increases. For example, marathon runners, who recorded the desired time before the race, during which they would cover the distance, eventually resorted to the finish line six minutes faster. Public setting goals and even their simple fixation on paper does not allow to evade performance. By promising others to lose weight, we try to be more consistent and more likely we will strive to achieve the desired result.
There are many ways to facilitate the achievement of goals, but there is little that can help if the task itself is poorly worded. For example, people often promise to "lose weight" or "make more savings." The problem with both of these tasks is that they are too abstract. It would be much more correct to promise myself the following: "By March 1, I will lose 5 kg and keep this weight until next New Year" and "I will save $ 50 every month for the whole year." Such formulations are better because they are more specific, they allow you to track progress, and a specific time period is set aside for their achievement. If you publicly set yourself a similar goal, it is highly likely that in the end you will achieve or be close to it.
As for the goals for the year, which we publish in social networks: such statuses stimulate the fulfillment of the promise, but their effect does not last long. Who cares what you promised there in January, when July is in the yard? You can increase your efficiency thanks to social networks only if you make a habit of publicly reporting your progress every day, week or month. So those around you - friends and family - will always remember what you promised to achieve.