memo

http://thoughtcatalog.com/sam-davies/2014/11/want-to-get-motivated-heres-a-simpleresearch-based-hack-you-can-use/

Otras referencias y cita apa

Biondolillo, M. J., & Pillemer, D. B. (2014). Using memories to motivate future behaviour: An
experimental exercise intervention. Memory, (ahead-of-print), 1-13.

Citado en:

Exploring Contributions of Liking and Wanting to the IntentionBehaviour Link

Wudarzewski, A. (2014). Exploring contributions of liking and wanting to the intention-behaviour

link (Doctoral dissertation, University of Waterloo).

http://www.unh.edu/news/releases/2014/03/lw17memory.cfm
http://www.spring.org.uk/2014/05/exercise-motivation-heres-a-simple-mental-trick-youcan-do-right-now.php

LIFE, it often seems, is built on motivation.

The aspiring entrepreneur, who works evenings and weekends on her side project, so
she can one day quit her 9 to five job; the budding actor who waits tables until his next
audition; and the competitive basketball player who begins his PRACTICE schedule at
04:00 (Kobe Bryant) all have one thing in common: they are all MOTIVATED.

And, BASED on what we have learnt about the science of behaviour change
(particularly, in this article), MOTIVATION is a prerequisite to breaking bad habits and
forming good ones that stick.

Before a habit becomes automatised, however, you need to rely on motivation; without
it, gym memberships arent used, musical instruments sell like-new and unfinished
manuscripts COLLECT dust in desk draws.

The problem is motivation, as we know, is unreliable. Theres an irony thats cruel and
unusual: when you need it, its nowhere to be seen. Gone without a trace. And when
you dont need it? No problem: its available at a moments NOTICE.

Ads by InfoAd Options

But what if it didnt have to be like this? What if there was a way to SUMMON it
whenever you needed it? There is, and as one recent study revealed, its a lot easier
than you may think . . .

The Power of Autobiographical Memory

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of New Hampshire, tested the
effects of activating an autobiographical memory on an exercise habit in students. [1]

The researchers, Biondolilloa and Pillemera, asked 150 participants to recall a positive
memory of exercise, whilst others remembered a negative memory. Others, in a
controlled condition, were not asked to recall a memory. [2]

The study found, those who thought about a positive exercise memory, reported higher
levels of motivation to exercise, and were more likely to exercise again in the future.
Standard, right? But heres where it gets interesting.

Biondolilloa and Pillemera learnt, much to their surprise, that EVEN those who recalled
a negative memory, EXERCISED more than those under CONTROLLED conditions.

The AUTHORS explained:

Without explicit direction or encouragement, our sample of college STUDENTS, amidst

the innumerable distractions afforded by life at a large, public university, increased their
reported exercise activities from their habitual levels. [3]
The question is, if this can be APPLIED to exercise, can it be applied to others habits
as well?

Autobiographical Memory Beyond Exercise

If you have even fallen into a rut, you will know how important it is to relearn good
habits; those daily and even weekly routines that once kept you on the straight and
narrow, but now, have fallen by the wayside.

And you will also know that by returning to eating healthily, exercising regularly and
writing daily, among other good habits, you can PULL yourself out of your slump and
put yourself back on solid ground.

GRANTED, relearning how to lean into your fear and familiarise yourself with
behaviours that delay gratification can be painful. You have to resist temptation, nurse
an aching BODY and overcome inner creative battles.

But it doesnt have to be the challenge we perceive it to be. In fact, a simple reframe is
often enough. If we RETURN to the aforementioned study, is it possible, that
PARTICIPANTS who were MOTIVATED to exercise despite recalling negative
memories did so because they were also reminded of how they felt after they
exercised? Could it be that was what motivated them?

Given our need to return to pleasurable emotional states, its certainly possible.

How often have you made yourself go to the gym, kicking and screaming, only to feel
grateful after you had done it? Seldom do we think about the pleasure well receive
from doing what we dont want to do.

If you need to motivate yourself to study for an exam, dont think about how boring it is.
Instead, think about a previous exam and remember how you felt after you had
completed it: that feeling of total freedom.

Dieting is hard, especially when reminiscing about past experiences; theres meals you
have to journal, calories you have to count and desserts you have to say no to.

But evoking memories of how you felt when you regained your ideal weight and looked
in the mirror having lost 14 pounds can motivate you to want to return to that
feeling, again and again. This could be your Tipping Point.

You dont need to move mountains: all you need to do is run. Run for 1 mile. Run for 5
minutes. The metric is less important in the beginning, so make is small and start. If
youre still demotivated, look into yourself for the answer. Ask yourself Why? Selfenquiry reveals a lot.

A Final Word

As weve learnt, you dont need to do a lot to get motivated. Whether you have a
positive or a negative memory of a behaviour, it will serve you, so use it well. I guess it
is true: hindsight is a BEAUTIFUL thing. TC mark

Sources:

[1] Biondolilloa, M.J. & Pillemera, D.B. (2014) Using Memories to Motivate Future
Behaviour: An Experimental Exercise Intervention, Memory, 1(1), pp. 1-13.

[2] Dean, J. (2014) Get Motivated to Exercise: Heres a Simple Mental Trick You Can
Do Right Now (Accessed: 20th November 2014).

[3] Wright, L. (2014) UNH Research: Positive Memories of Exercise Spur Future
Workouts (Accessed: 20th November 2014).

Acknowledgements:

Jeremy Dean for INTRODUCING me to autobiographical memory.

CATALOGED in20 SomethingsCareerCulture & ArtHealth & WellnessThe Digital

AgeWriting & Expression