New research shows that questioning doubts about life goals can strengthen commitment rather than weaken it. Ohio State University psychology professor Patrick Carroll led studies involving 267 adults and 130 college students examining “identity goals” – long-term aims tied to who people want to become. Participants who doubted their goals but then wrote about questioning their own thinking became more committed to their objectives. “What this study found is that inducing doubts in one’s doubts can provide a formula for confidence,” Carroll said in a news release. The research focused on situations where people face an “action crisis” about whether to pursue or abandon goals. “On some level, it may seem that doubt would be additive. Doubt plus doubt would equal more doubt,” Carroll explained. “But this study found the opposite: Doubt plus doubt equaled less doubt.” (Story URL)

PHONE TOPIC: What life goals have you accomplished, and which ones are still on your list?