Crush Your Goals In 2023: Highlights from the Conversation Between Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Emily Balcetis.
Have you ever set a goal for yourself, like starting a new diet or exercising more, only to lose motivation and give up within a few weeks? Go-to strategies like diets, vision boards, and pep talks may not be effective in the long run because maintaining them can be a goal in itself.
There are tools that can help us achieve our goals without requiring as much effort. In a discussion with Dr. Emily Balcetis, Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about the power of vision and how it can help us control our perception and ultimately achieve our goals.
Goal Gradient Hypothesis.
In the early days of motivation research in the 1940s and 1950s, scientists would conduct experiments on rats and mice by depriving them of food and water to observe their motivation to obtain those resources. The animals were trained to navigate a maze in order to access food and water, and it was observed that when the finish line (where the food and water was located) was in sight, the hungry and thirsty rats would increase their speed and use all their available energy to reach the finish line and receive their reward, even if this meant expending more energy than they might otherwise have done if they were not as hungry or thirsty.
The goal gradient hypothesis is a theory that explains how people’s motivation and effort towards achieving a goal increase as they get closer to reaching it. This phenomenon is also seen in human behavior, where individuals will put more effort and resources into completing a goal as they get closer to achieving it. The idea behind this is that people are motivated by the prospect of reward, and that as they get closer to the reward, their motivation increases. By narrowing one’s focus of attention and creating an illusion of proximity to the goal, motivation to pursue it can be increased. Now that you know why you need to feel closer to your goals. Let us get into how your physical state and your energy levels can impact your perception.
Why being overweight/unhealthy can make the world appear to be more challenging.
Do you find that when you’re feeling tired, distances seem longer and hills steeper? Have you noticed any differences in your perception of your surroundings based on your level of energy or fitness?
The way we see things can be affected by our physical state, such as chronic fatigue, age, or weight.
For example, someone who is experiencing chronic fatigue or is elderly or overweight may perceive distances as longer and hills as steeper.
The Impact of Energy and Physical Condition on Perception.
In a study, participants who were given a sugary energy drink reported that they felt like the space around them was more confined and the finish line was closer.
Importance of Prioritizing Physical State and Energy Levels.
People who are overweight or not in good physical condition may perceive challenges as more insurmountable, leading to a lack of motivation and a feeling that the task is impossible.
To overcome this, focusing attention on a specific area or task can be helpful in directing resources effectively. Narrowing the visual field can help with this by limiting distractions and allowing one to allocate resources more efficiently. Maintaining good physical condition and high energy levels can help improve your perception of the world around you and make challenges seem more achievable. This can help increase motivation and make it easier to get started on tasks and goals. Let us now get into the main task, learning how to visualize and get things done.
Visualization and How to Use it Properly.
How do you typically visualize a goal or problem in your mind? Do you see it as achievable or daunting? Do you feel motivated or discouraged when you think about it? How do these mental representations impact your approach to dealing with them? People who suffer from anxiety have most of their attention captured by negative things and can struggle to even start.
For a lot of people, it’s not about getting from start to finish, it’s about getting to start.” – Dr. Andrew Huberman
Using Visualization to Achieve Physical Goals.
Many people struggle with achieving their health-related goals, such as improving their exercise and diet habits.
- Vision can be a powerful tool for runners to help them finish a race.
- If you’ve set a physical goal like running or exercising more, you can induce illusion of proximity to feel closer to the finish line/ goal. You can do it by narrowing your visual focus or putting a spotlight on the goal you want to achieve.
- Runners who focus their vision and attention on a specific target during a race tend to perform better and feel less fatigued than those who do not.
- To improve your focus during a race, try looking straight ahead at the finish line, setting intermediate targets along the way (like lampposts or mile markers), and shifting your focus to the next target as you reach each one
- Set milestones to make you feel closer to the finish line.
Using Visualization to Achieve Non-Physical Goals.
Are you planning to take on new challenges this year by setting goals to read more, write, learn to play an instrument, or improve your math skills?
Here is an effective approach to making progress:
- Don’t undermine the value of keeping track of your progress. Whenever you practice or put effort into that specific goal, write it down or use apps to keep track of your sessions.
- Don’t rely on your memory to tell you how much progress you’ve made. Instead of relying on your faulty memory alone, use tools that can help you track how many hours you’ve practiced this week or when you last hit the books.
- It is important to regularly review your data, perhaps every week or two, to ensure that you are making progress towards your goals. By examining the data, you can determine if you are on an upward trajectory or if any changes need to be made. This will help you stay on track and make necessary adjustments to reach your goals.
- It is recommended on the podcast to use tools like Reporter App or 1 Second Everyday App to track and visualize progress towards goals. Honestly you can go through play store and find a lot of similar apps that help you visualize and track progress.
Here’s a visual summary.
While visualization can be helpful, it is not enough on its own to achieve your goal. It is important to take action and work towards your goal, rather than simply thinking or dreaming about it. Relying solely on visualization may lead to a false sense of accomplishment and hinder progress.
"The process of goal setting shouldn’t stop at articulating what the goal is.” - Dr. Emily Balcetis
Here’s how you can turn visualization into action:
Thanks for reading. Hope you’ve learnt something. All the very best for 2023! ☺
If you want to learn more, you can watch the full podcast episode on Huberman Lab. All the information shared is for educational purpose only. Full credit to Dr Andrew Huberman providing valuable information for free.
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