Quick Hits
Brief research updates from the cognitive sciences
Sorry, stupid question right off the cuff. Change what?
Well, in this recent study they were looking at changing health behaviours.
So, those well-meant things that everyone promises to do themself but never do!
Yes, precisely. You know “I really should exercise more” type of thing. But this was done with 500 heart patients — so they really, really, should be doing more exercise.
And so there is a secret to getting people to do this?
Actually some important results in this study. Generally most health change programmes go through goal setting and planning processes and this has some success. And these researchers noticed two things that were really important: one we know, and one we rarely consider.
Well, don’t keep me in suspense what are they?
The first is also well-known and that is self-choice. Allowing people to choose what activity they want to do. The second is that of starting it immediately. So if people want to walk more, hook them up to a pedometer and go for a walk immediately.
Interesting, because I do that instinctively with many things. I thought that was just my impulsivity!
There are many components that influence this. Many physical and many psychological — if you have done it once it is much easier to do it a second time, it is already familiar, you already have made step one which is the hardest, etc.
So when getting, or encouraging, people, or yourself, to change, do it immediately.
That’s right, or as soon as you feasibly can, but immediately is best.
© leading brains 2022
Reference
Mitesh S. Patel, Chethan Bachireddy, Dylan S. Small, Joseph D. Harrison, Tory O. Harrington, Ai Leen Oon, Charles A. L. Rareshide, Christopher K. Snider, Kevin G. Volpp.
Effect of Goal-Setting Approaches Within a Gamification Intervention to Increase Physical Activity Among Economically Disadvantaged Adults at Elevated Risk for Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events.
JAMA Cardiology, 2021
DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2021.3176
More Quick Hits
Exercise is Infectious
This is an older study (2017) I came across and found fascinating. As many of you regular readers will know I have reported many times on the benefits of exercise.
Why our Brains Miss Opportunities for Innovation
When we think of innovation we think of creating something new. A new study shows that, however, we, by default, try to add something whereby subtracting something could make something better.
Brain Region for Changing Behaviour Identified
The saying goes “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This obviously refers to doing the same thing over and over and continually getting a bad result
From Couch to Ultra Marathon with Mental Imagery
On first glance I thought the above headline was fascinating. I am a sports person, look into the neuroscience of motivation, and have been in the “motivational” space for nigh on two decades.