Grappling for motivation when you are completely out of steam has to be one of the most frustrating parts of life. Before you end up snowballing a lack of motivation into worry that you won’t get it done and then become fully paralyzed and unable to initiate a task, take a breather and try this newly discovered way to increase motivation.
Newly published research finds that a simple, daily practice followed for two weeks is enough to boost motivation directly after and up to three months afterwards! Japanese university students were enrolled in an experiment in which they were asked to participate in daily gratitude journaling by logging five things each day for which they were grateful.
In this instance, academic motivation was gauged, yet the impact of gratitude extends to various realms like professional, domestic, or creative pursuits. This applies to all ages; middle and high school students, practicing gratitude, showed improved academic performance in previous studies. Like Japanese students, lasting results showed increased gratitude linked to better academic performance weeks later, highlighting enduring effects.
Gratitude and Cognitive Function
The key in these studies is that gratitude can change cognitive variables, such as altering processes behind executive cognitive functions. Negative thinking not only sours outcomes, but actually narrows the possibilities of how a certain situation plays out. Preconceived thoughts shape scenarios such as tests, jobs, home life, workouts, or lunch choices, influencing outcomes before they unfold.
Negative thinking triggers limited responses, typically fight or flight, due to negative psychological reactions it generates. Positivity and gratitude expand possibilities, enriching resources in various domains, a psychological theory termed “broaden-and-build”.
Practicing gratitude enhances self-control, aiding in temporal discounting: delaying immediate gratification for greater future rewards. Grateful people tend to be able to recognize the benefit in waiting more than others.
Boost motivation by listing five daily gratitudes to tackle tasks with renewed vigor.
Further Reading
Nawa, N.E., Yamagishi, N. Enhanced academic motivation in university students following a 2-week online gratitude journal intervention. BMC Psychol 9, 71 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00559-w
