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motivation
You fail to reach goals by ignoring obstacles ahead.
Mental contrasting demonstrates that visualizing success without anticipating specific obstacles actually reduces your goal-directed energy.
When you imagine a future outcome, your brain produces a temporary feeling of reward. If you do not contrast that success with the reality of the barriers you will face, you lose the motivation necessary to actually perform the task.
Your best fantasies are often the thief of your actual work.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Oettingen, 2000
- What the check found
- The core of the claim accurately summarizes Fantasy Realization Theory and the 'indulging' vs 'contrasting' paradigm, though the wording 'reduces' is a slight shift from 'fails to mobilize'.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.