An investigation discovers a trick that motivates people to change
Change It was never easy, and more if we are not able to see the benefits that the change brings. Because it is an individual and personal process, nobody can change another person if they do not want to change.
You just have to think of a father who tries to change his son by imposing rules and forcing him to be as he wants it to be, because on many occasions they have no effect , because the son will look for the way to continue doing what he wants.
The change is something personal and depends on oneself
The best way to change is when the person himself comes to visualize the negative consequences of his behavior, or when it is able to visualize the benefits. Therefore, coaching professionals are capable of empowering people in the face of the process of change, so that they are aware of their own capacity to achieve their goals and achieve positive and lasting changes in their lives, always through their own self-reflection.
Either get in shape or leave a habit like smoking, changing behavior can be difficult . Despite many theories on how to motivate people to change, for example the Prochaska and DiClemente Transheoretical Change Model, research seems to have found a way to motivate people to change. And it's simpler than you thought!
The perfect question to change
A study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, states that asking the perfect question may be enough to bring about change in a person. The researchers showed that a question that does not give the possibility of expressing the reasons why it accelerates the development of a person to carry out the change .
This predisposition to change as a consequence of this type of question has been coined by the authors of the study as "the effect of the question-behavior". To exemplify this, instead of telling you and trying to explain to someone that you should invest in your retirement. The theory of researchers suggests that you ask yourself: "Are you going to save money for your retirement?".
This question is a reminder that it is necessary to invest in retirement because if not in the future one can repent, but it also causes discomfort to someone who is not saving for retirement. In cases where the person is not having a healthy behavior, this type of question is really powerful .
Questions are a powerful weapon for change
Questions can be powerful weapons for change. In fact, in the times of Socrates, he was already helping his disciples learn by asking them powerful questions that provoked their self-reflection. What is known as the art of mayéutica.
This technique consists of Ask a person questions until she discovers concepts that were latent or hidden in her mind . Through this dialogue, the person is invited to discover the answers on their own, and it is key to personal development. In coaching, this technique is called "Socratic method" or "Socratic questions".
In fact, the coach can work on many techniques or methods to improve performance, mood, attitudes, behaviors, motivations, etc., all of which are superficial aspects of true change. In order to be able to talk about real change, we have to work with the perceptions people have, their way of interpreting the world.
When people manage to modify these perceptions, and as a consequence of their behavior, it is when the change really occurs. The powerful questions they can be a way of questioning one's schemes .
How powerful questions work
The researchers who conducted the study found that questioning things effectively leads to a significant and consistent behavior change. The results confirmed that the direct questions influenced people to be less deceived and to carry out a lasting change .
The key is in Cognitive Dissonance
According to the authors, the key is to ask questions that force you to choose between a definite "yes" or a "no". It is interesting to know that the researchers found that these questions were more effective when administered by computer or in a paper survey . It is possible that the reason for this is "Cognitive Dissonance".
The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance suggests that people have an inner need to make sure that their beliefs, attitudes and behavior are coherent with each other. When there is inconsistency between them, the conflict leads to lack of harmony, something that people strive to avoid. This lack of harmony or displeasure it can lead to an attempt to change behavior or defend their beliefs or attitudes (even coming to self-deception) to reduce the discomfort they produce.
To learn more about this interesting theory, we invite you to read this article: "Cognitive dissonance: the theory that explains self-deception"The answers "yes" or "no", do not give the possibility to clarify the answer
But of course, when presenting the questions in a way that answers "yes" or "no" on the computer or in pen and paper format, it does not give the possibility to clarify the answer. For example, if they ask you if you are already training to get fit and you answer "no", you do not have the possibility to justify yourself by saying "I could not start this week, I will start the next one".
conclusion
In summary, this study seems to indicate that the questions that answered "yes" or "no" in paper or computer format could be a powerful weapon for change because they do not give the possibility of explaining the reasons or reasons why things are being done badly . The discomfort that it would cause would be enough to carry out the change.
Even so, we must not forget that these conclusions are from a single study, and, therefore, science will have to continue researching to see if these results are also shown in future research.
