It's the journey, not the destination: How metaphor drives growth after goal attainment

J Pers Soc Psychol. 2019 Oct;117(4):697-720. doi: 10.1037/pspa0000164. Epub 2019 Jun 24.

Abstract

People pursue goals throughout their lives, and many of these attempts end happily-a goal is achieved. However, what facilitates the continuation of behaviors that are aligned with the completed goal, such as continuing to monitor food intake after completing a diet program? The results of 6 studies involving over 1,600 people across cultures and samples (executives in Africa, dieters in a 7-day food diary program, exercisers in a 14-day walking program, and college students) demonstrated that construing an achieved goal as a journey one has completed (compared with an alternative metaphor of having reached a destination, or a no-metaphor control) led to a greater likelihood of people continuing behaviors aligned with this attained goal. These findings demonstrated how shifting people's focus of a metaphor (i.e., focusing on the journey vs. the destination part of a completed path) can lead to consequentially different perceptions and behaviors. We isolated a mechanism for why people would continue goal-aligned behaviors after attaining their specific goals-enhanced perceptions of personal growth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Achievement*
  • Adult
  • Africa
  • Attention
  • Attitude
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Diet, Reducing / psychology
  • Drive*
  • Exercise / psychology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Goals*
  • Happiness
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Metaphor*
  • Middle Aged
  • Motivation*
  • Students / psychology
  • Young Adult