Which Works Best, The Carrot Or The Stick?

Are you a resolutions-maker?

For the last several days, I've heard people talk about creating some better habits, particularly eliminating the extra sugar that's crept into their lives.

People typically gain only a pound or two during the holidays--they just don't lose that weight. Each year adds another pound or two.

Those pounds creep up insidiously until one day you realize what's happened and now that weight loss seems overwhelming and discouraging.

That sets people up for resorting to fad diets and extreme exercise instead of the slow and steady more effective approach that requires lots of time--and even more patience!

Guess what's the most effective motivator.....

Do you think people respond better to "reward" or "punishment"?

Negative motivation works best in the short term!

In time, we tend to rebel or start to feel hopeless but we're generally more easily swayed by negative, rather than positive feelings.

🔺 A study was conducted as part of a blood donation drive.

• Group A was told that their donation could save a life.

• Group B was told that their donation could prevent a death.

The negative wording given to group B boosted donations significantly.

🔺 An e-newsletter company got a greater subscriber response when a subject line was phrased negatively, e.g. “how to avoid this bad thing” rather than “how to have this good thing.”

It's called "negativity bias"

Negativity bias refers to our proclivity to “attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information.”​

It's probably a vestige of a time when our ancestors had to be constantly alert for threats.

When it comes to creating and maintaining healthy habits, it’s good to note the benefits of that change/practice.....and even better to note the negative consequences of not doing it!

This concept immediately made me think of all the people who've told me they're working out because they don't want the second half of their lives to look like that of their parents!

And a client who's lost a lot of weight. She shares her journey to motivate her to keep going. You wouldn't want to let people down who've been cheering you on!

Negativity bias can be a tool.

Don't become a negative person!

​Optimism is good for your health.​

The Nurses' Health Study found

".....strong and statistically significant associations of increasing levels of optimism with decreasing risks of mortality, including mortality due to each major cause of death, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection."

Are you more optimistic or pessimistic?

Here's a quick test you can take to find out. If you score higher on the pessimistic side, you'll be motivated to work on changing your outlook on life in the hope that you won't get sick or die early.

See what I did there? 😉

Wishing you all the best life has to offer in 2025!