Why is it so difficult to stay motivated? And more importantly why do you always seem to suffer from bad weather, malfunctioning equipment, and just bad luck, whereas others do not seem to have that problem? I will explain why this is the case and also reveal two easy ways to change this. And the good news is that you can apply this to a wide range of activities!

Golden Behaviors

– Nudges for a Healthy Lifestyle –

Reading time: 6 minutes
 
So now I’m running. From a frequent squash player to a frequent runner. I still like squash better. I also like running better. The more I do it, the easier it becomes. Last year I ran 18 times in the whole year, last month I ran 14 times. It was not without effort. At the end of a run I always feel I either have a shortage of air or a shortage of muscle power. If your condition improves, then the muscle power becomes more apparent. Sometimes with little pains in my calf or my Achilles heel. So that got me thinking. It could be that my muscles were not really up to this sudden increase in activity, but it could also be that my shoes were not in optimal shape anymore and I needed new ones. I decided to investigate the latter. By the way, this behavior is called fundamental attribution error.

Why you suffer more from bad luck than others

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency for people to under-emphasize personal explanations (I have not trained enough and thus my muscles are not strong enough) and over-emphasize situational factors (my shoes are not good anymore). So as any good human would do: I focused on the equipment. If you are now thinking: “Well, in your case I would first try to improve your muscles. That seems more logical and it would also cost you less money.” Then you would also be guilty of the fundamental attribution error, because when explaining other people’s behavior, we over-emphasize personal explanations (he has not trained enough) and under-emphasize situational factors (his shoes are not good anymore). About the cost of new shoes, that is a good point, I will come back to that in a later blog.
 

The difference between positive and negative outcomes

It is good to realize that the fundamental attribution error works differently for negative outcomes than to positive outcomes. Little pains after running are negative outcomes. Therefore, I under-emphasize personal explanations (I have not trained enough) and over-emphasize situational factors (my shoes are not good anymore).

By the way, did I tell you that my condition and speed have improved in the last month? As you may know this is because my excellent ability to motivate myself. You must know that I am very good at motivating myself (I over-emphasize personal explanation). The truth is, that my improvements are mainly driven by the government’s Cornavirus measures. These make me do much more running, because squash is not possible at the moment. These are situational factors that I have hardly any influence over, but since this is a positive outcome, I under-emphasize these factors in contributing to my condition. Thus, for positive outcomes, such as improving my condition and speed, the emphasis is exactly the other way around. I now over-emphasize personal explanations and under-emphasize situational factors (my shoes are not good anymore).

Evaluating other’s behavior

However, when evaluating other’s behaviors, this is the other way around. This is summarized in the figure below. When the outcome is positive for myself (I achieved first place in the competition), this is because of my capabilities (personal factors), when the outcome is positive for others (they achieved first place in the competition), this is because they were lucky (situational factors). When the outcome is negative (I became last in the competition), this is the other way around: I had bad luck (situation factors). If others are last in the competition, they do not have the capabilities (personal factors).

 
 

 
 
 

Two easy steps to motivate yourself

So, how can you use fundamental attribution error to motivate yourself doing more exercise or eating more healthy? The first step is knowing about fundamental attribution error and understanding how this works, especially in evaluating your own behavior. When I am evaluating my own negative performance, I know that I will be inclined to blame situational factors. So I generally hold the belief that the equipment is not limiting my performance. When my equipment is limiting my performance, I will know it. This can be summarized in my motto: “I am not yet good enough that my equipment matters”.
 
A few years ago, the edge of my snowboard broke out of the board, while on the slopes of the Alps. I went into town and negotiated to rent a snowboard for a day, with the agreement that I could buy that snowboard if I was happy with it. I took it up on the mountain and in my first turn I completely lost control because my rented snowboard twisted. I had used stiffer boards before and now I knew that I was good enough that my equipment started to matter and I needed to go on the lookout for a stiffer snowboard.
 
 
The second step is to practice storytelling to keep you motivated. How does this work? When you are evaluating your own behavior with a positive outcome, then assign this positive outcome to your own efforts and competencies – the scientific phrase is to attribute this positive outcome to your own effort and competencies. For example, your performance can depend on many underlying reasons: you listened to good music, the weather was good, you slept well, etc. When your run was faster than average, then tell yourself that it was you that choose this music, that you choose the right time to go running, and that you made the excellent decision to go to bed on time last night. When your run was slower than average, then tell yourself that you do not have control over all music in Spotify’s playlist when running, that nothing is as unpredictable as the weather, and that good sleep is no guarantee for good performance. This will motivate and carry on your current positive behaviors.
 
 
The positive side-effect of practicing storytelling, is that it will help you become more mindful. Research suggest that mindfulness helps to reduce fundamental attribution error. This involves practicing both sides of the story and will help to think of multiple reasons for your own behavior, but also for other’s behavior. Fundamental attribution error plays a role in almost all evaluations. Being more mindful will help you becoming more objective in evaluations of your own behavior and behavior of others. 
 

You do not suffer more from bad luck than others

So you do not suffer from bad weather, malfunctioning equipment, and bad luck more than others. That is just your perspective. Others have just as a hard time keeping motivated as you have. So stop blaming your running shoes (or other situational factors) and strive to improve your muscles (or other personal factors) and practice your storytelling. If you have some good examples from storytelling, please let me know in the comments.
 

Niels Vink (1975) is author of Golden Behaviors and behavioral designer. He uses insights from the behavioral sciences to explain why people often act against their own interests. As a behavioral expert, he explores how you can nudge your behavior for a healthy lifestyle. He has Master degrees in Social Psychology (Leiden University) and Industrial Design Engineering (Delft University of Technology) and holds a PhD in Consumer Behavior.

When you have been inspired to start and maintain your Golden Behaviors, reach out to me.


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