Can Facebook help you finally reach your goals?

Does posting an idea on Facebook or tweeting a resolution make it more likely to come true? I recently read an article in The New York Times that talked about people uploading New Year’s Resolution videos to YouTube and posting promises on social media sites in order to keep themselves accountable. A girl who goes by the name, Glamourista16, posted a video about her desire to stop eating so much at Chipotle, and it was viewed 38,000 times on YouTube! So, do you think it works? Will Glamourista16 eat fewer burritos because she vowed online to do so?

Economists say that people who make their promises public are much more inclined to fulfill them. The price of failure is different for everyone, but I think we can agree that no one wants to feel ashamed or embarrassed, and certainly don’t want to do so in front of all their friends and followers. SticK.com, a social media site for tracking personal goals, puts an actual price on failure. To use the site, the resolver logs on, puts in their goals and then puts their money on the line – literally. Users put in their credit card information and designate where the money will go if they don’t succeed. Users also pick a “referee” who can confirm or deny their successes, as well as some cheerleaders to keep up their motivation. As an example, Professor Karlan, a professor at Yale University and co-founder of sticK.com stands to lose $3,250 if he doesn’t reach his goal of editing his slides following each lecture. Is reaching your goal or keeping your resolution important enough to you that you are willing to pay if you don’t succeed?

In many ways, goals make you feel vulnerable. So, does an announcing your goal to the World Wide Web really help with success? Many social media users say yes, it does. Posting a message on sticK.com or other sites such as 43things.com  is a way of putting your goals out there, without admitting them to family and friends. The fear of failure is still there, but motivators for success are plenty as well. Not to mention that most sites help you find others who share your goal, so you automatically are a part of a community of like-minded people.  

But is putting money on the line upping the ante, or taking things too far? Gym-Pact offers motivational fees to gym members who agree to pay a fee for missing their workout (even as much as $10). The idea was born in a behavioral economics class at Harvard University and is still somewhat experimental, with pilot programs at Bally Total Fitness and Planet Fitness in Boston. Future changes to the pact may include incentives to work out, like lower membership fees, rather than just a penalty for not going to the gym.  

Goal setting is a very important part of changing unwanted behaviors and making that change a reality. From fear, to money, to the promise of a new wardrobe or car, to even the smallest of rewards – I say go for it. Do what works for you and helps you to stay on track with your own health and wellness goals. Feel free to share your goals or comments with me on Facebook.com/WellnessWorkdays, I’d “like” to hear them!