The research is clear: People who set goals are more successful.

While goal setting is a beneficial practice in most cases, it’s not a miracle cure for all your problems like some internet coaches would have you believe. It’s not a foolproof way to achieve any and everything. If you’re tone-deaf, you’re not going to become an accomplished singer by setting goals.

However, goal setting can definitely benefit your mental health and happiness in many ways, but it can also have some detrimental effects.

Setting Goals Goes Against Your Brain’s Natural Tendencies

One challenge with goal setting is that it goes against how your brain naturally works. Past research shows that your brain inherently wants to prioritize and choose routine over novelty every time on its own. Makes sense – its top job is always to keep you safe. When trying to change a behavior, brain circuits for habitual and goal-directed action battle it out in your head for control. Therefore, any goals that require radical behavioral or thinking-pattern changes are going to be met with resistance initially.

Your brain is also wired to seek rewards and avoid pain, discomfort, and fear. However, that doesn’t mean that the more comfortable path is in your best interest. It just means that your brain prefers it. In fact, these preferences are “demotivators” and leave you with the desire to return back to the safety of your habitual behavior and thought patterns. However, with conscious effort, you can override these feelings and change your brain and behavior.

The Benefits of Goal Setting

Dopamine Boost

When you want something and get it, whether it’s a bonus, candy bar, or text message — your brain gives you a shot of dopamine. Dopamine is often called the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.

Because of this, it’s possible to boost dopamine levels by setting small goals and accomplishing them. For instance, your brain receives a spike in dopamine if you promise yourself you’re going to work out and then you actually do. This is one reason people like to-do lists. It feels good to check things off because you get a shot of dopamine. Each time your brain gets a hit of dopamine, it encourages you to repeat the corresponding behavior.

You’ll keep the dopamine flowing if you break goals down into bite-sized, achievable pieces. For example, if you want to exercise three times a week, check off each success with a bright marker on a calendar so that your brain sees and registers the accomplishment. If you want to write a book, make a goal to write for 15 minutes every day and reward yourself when you do.

Improved Performance

Research shows that setting goals can increase performance when:

• the goals are specific and sufficiently challenging,
• the subjects have sufficient ability,
• feedback is provided to show progress in relation to the goal,
• rewards such as money are given for goal attainment,
• the experimenter or manager is supportive (if applicable),
• and assigned goals are accepted and agreed upon by the individual.

Setting Goals Can Make You Happier

One study had people participate in three short one-hour goal setting and planning sessions online. The researchers then compared these people to control groups that didn’t complete the exercises. The results revealed a causal relationship between goal setting and subjective well-being.

In his book,  100 Simple Secrets of the Best Half of Life, psychologist David Niven tells of a study in which:

People who could identify a goal they were pursuing were 19 percent more likely to feel satisfied with their lives and 26 percent more likely to feel positive about themselves.”

Valuable Experiences

According to a Psychology Today article, setting goals can provide you with valuable learning experiences that will benefit not only your mental health but your life in general. The practice can teach you important lessons on many things from independence, resilience, and competition to forgiveness and kindness. These skills are known to be important contributors to your mental health and happiness.

Quite simply, setting goals can help you grow as a person. One of the biggest satisfactions in life is seeing your life evolve in a positive, healthier direction and reaping the rewards. Thus, working towards and achieving goals can give your self-esteem a boost, which can improve your overall mental health and life satisfaction.

The Downside of Goal Setting

Depression and Anxiety

Not all goals are created equal. Goals with no specific aim can even be bad for your mental health. If a goal is too vague, it’s harder to reach, and you don’t know when or if you’ve even gotten there. One study found that general, vague, and non-specific goals caused depressed people to feel more depressed. The authors concluded:

We found that the goals that people with clinical depression listed lacked a specific focus, making it more difficult to achieve them and therefore creating a downward cycle of negative thoughts.

A widely accepted goal setting practice is to decide what you want to achieve and then write down a “SMART” goal. SMART goals are defined as:

 Specific – A specific goal should answer these five questions:

• What exactly do I want to achieve?
• Why – specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
• Who is involved?
• Where – identify a location.
• Which restrictions or limits are important to consider?

Measurable – A measurable goal will answer:

• How much or how many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Achievable – An achievable goal will answer the question:

• How can this goal be accomplished?

Relevant –  A relevant goal will answer yes to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other efforts/needs?

Time-bound – Goals includes target dates. A time-bound goal will help to answer:

• When must I be finished?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

The next phase, where many goal-setters fall short, is to plan the steps you need to take and then put your plan into action. Questions to consider include:

• What activities do I need to complete to achieve my goal and in what timeframe?
• What resources do I need?
• Who can help me achieve my goal?

Additionally, you will want to find a supportive friend or network to help you stay on track with your goal and touch base regularly to resolve issues and assist in staying focused on the goal. One study confirmed the importance of the above steps to achieve goals. The experiment showed that 76 percent of participants who wrote down their goals, actions, and provided weekly progress to a friend successfully achieved their goals.

Contributing Author:

Alex Moore is a West Virginia Psychology Undergraduate with a penchant for the intricacies of the human mind. When he’s not obsessing over curious minutiae, you’ll find him contributing to www.schizlife.com