Category: Motivation

Attendance at fitness classes was 90% higher in the group that used this type of motivation.

Competition is one of the best motivators: it works much better than friendly support, which could actually backfire and reduce motivation, the researchers found.

The research involved college students being encouraged to attend classes at the University fitness centre.

The programme was managed through an internet-based social network.

The researchers tested the effects of four different types of social network interactions, some involving competition, others not.

The results showed that when competition was involved, attendance rates at fitness classes were 90% higher.

Dr Damon Centola, one of the study’s authors, said:

“Most people think that when it comes to social media more is better.

This study shows that isn’t true: When social media is used the wrong way, adding social support to an online health program can backfire and make people less likely to choose healthy behaviors.

However, when done right, we found that social media can increase people’s fitness dramatically.”

Whether it was individual or in groups — competition emerged as critical to motivation.

Dr Jingwen Zhang, the study’s first author, said:

“Framing the social interaction as a competition can create positive social norms for exercising.

Social support can make people more dependent on receiving messages, which can change the focus of the program.”

Dr Centola speculated on why social support may not have worked:

“Supportive groups can backfire because they draw attention to members who are less active, which can create a downward spiral of participation.

Competitive groups frame relationships in terms of goal-setting by the most active members.

These relationships help to motivate exercise because they give people higher expectations for their own levels of performance.”

In comparison, competition kept people pushing for more:

“In a competitive setting, each person’s activity raises the bar for everyone else.

Social support is the opposite: a ratcheting-down can happen.

If people stop exercising, it gives permission for others to stop, too, and the whole thing can unravel fairly quickly.”

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The study was published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports (Zhang et al., 2016).

Fewer than 1 in 10 people achieve their resolutions, research finds.

Many people make resolutions to change their lives for the better at this time of year.

While change is hard, the following five tips will help:

1. Establish realistic short-term goals.
2. Discuss the goals with friends and family.
3. Choose a diet that is healthy for heart and brain. This should include more omega fatty acids and less processed meat and lower sugar intake.
4. Avoid rapid weight loss diets.
5. Be flexible: if one thing doesn’t work, try something else.

Dr Carolyn Kaloostian of the Keck School of Medicine at USC, said it can be easy to get distracted from your goals:

“These start-of-the-year priorities unfortunately get sidelined due to competing obligations, responsibilities, and commitments from work or family.”

Doing things with other people can help, said Dr Kaloostian:

“I see some of the best results from patients who join a team and compete with others in obstacles races and runs.

They train together, help each other through injuries, develop great friendships due to similar goals, and have short-term goals to succeed at the upcoming course.”

Start with something easy and do-able, Dr Kaloostian recommends:

“For those who are new to getting moving, our so-called ‘couch potatoes,’

I strongly recommend starting with a short low-intensity fast-paced walk, about 15 minutes daily after stretching of course, to get into the groove and see how good it feels to just get moving.

It would be dangerous to jump into an intense workout regimen which may result in injuries.”

Be realistic about goals, but try to stay optimistic, said Dr Kaloostian:

“Approach each day with gratitude and refresh your commitment to this goal each morning.

Try to avoid adding new projects to your to-do list as this may pull you away from your goal.”

Related

• Eight inspiring rules for living a happier life in 2026 (P)
• Two steps to the best New Year’s resolution
• Although persistence towards long-term goals is laudable, sometimes quitting is the best thing we can do.
• Setting realistic and modest goals makes people happier in the long-term.