Telling about your goals to others lowers your motivation

In our journey towards achieving our goals, we often seek support and validation from others by sharing our aspirations. However, research suggests that divulging our goals prematurely can have unexpected consequences. It turns out that sharing our goals with others may negatively impact our drive and motivation.

Here's how it works: when we share our goals with someone else, it can trigger a sense of satisfaction similar to the feeling of accomplishment. This satisfaction stems from the release of dopamine in our brains - a chemical associated with pleasure and motivation. Similar to the "quick fix" we get from social media or fast food, sharing our goals can lead to the release of "cheap" dopamine, tricking our brains into believing we've already achieved what we set out to do.

However, when our brains perceive that we've already reached our goals, it can dampen our motivation to actually work towards them. We start to feel content and may lose interest in actively pursuing our aspirations.

Therefore, to maintain high levels of motivation and focus on achieving our goals, it might be better to keep them to ourselves initially. Instead of seeking external validation, we can cultivate a habit of keeping our plans under wraps until we've made significant progress or achieved our desired outcomes. By doing so, we can preserve our motivation and strive for greater success in our endeavors.