Wooley et. al. (2022) investigate how feeling discomfort can be an indication that an individual is improving and can motivate them to continue pursuing their goal. They conducted three experiments designed around understanding discomfort, motivation, persistence, and skill improvement. 

Experiment 1 included 557 adults who were separated into four waves: waves A-C consisted of students who were interested in learning how to improvise and wave D consisted of employees seeking ways to improve leadership and team collaboration in their jobs. During an improvisation exercise, the participants were divided into two groups and assigned one of two conditions: seeking discomfort or seeking control. Participants in the seeking discomfort condition were assigned to push themselves past their comfort zone. Participants in the control condition were given two types of instructions: participants in waves A, C, and D were given baseline instructions, and participants in wave B were assigned to push themselves to develop new skills. The researchers measured the participants’ persistence and risk-taking behaviors during the improvisation task and utilized survey scales to measure their levels of and beliefs about discomfort. The results of Experiment 1 suggest that seeking discomfort while striving to achieve a goal serves not only as a signal of personal growth, but also that individuals who perceive negative experiences (e.g. discomfort) as positive feedback redirect it toward motivation.

In Experiment 2, Woolley et al. (2022) gathered 258 MTurk participants who participated in a writing exercise in hopes of achieving therapeutic benefits, such as overcoming emotional hardships. The participants were split into two conditions: seeking discomfort or seeking control. Those seeking discomfort were assigned to push themselves out of their comfort zones, and participants in the control condition wrote and reflected on whether the writing exercise felt therapeutic. Woolley et al. assessed achievement and motivation. They used a three-item scale that included the questions, “did you feel that you were developing coping skills while working on this writing task?” and “how interested are you in completing another similar writing exercise in the future?”. Overall, the results indicate that the seeking discomfort group expressed greater goal achievement and motivation to participate in future tasks than the control group who received the baseline instructions. 

This study emphasizes the value of seeking and embracing discomfort in achieving goals related to personal growth. For example, sports coaches can encourage their athletes to push themselves out of their comfort zone and reframe their perspective of discomfort to be an indication of self improvement and, ultimately, progress toward their goals. The study aligns with EPIC’s research by showing that experiencing discomfort while pursuing a goal increases motivation to persist. Wooley et. al. (2022) lay the groundwork for a potential future EPIC project, which could focus on two groups: individuals who have frequently experienced failures versus those who have not. The project could investigate which group benefits greater when instructed to seek discomfort while pursuing their goals. 

If you are interested in Wooley et al.’s study, check out this link to learn more about it: 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359590301_Motivating_Personal_Growth_by_Seeking_Discomfort

This post is written by Eliza Hong. 

References:

Woolley, K., & Fishbach, A. (2022). Motivating personal growth by seeking discomfort. Psychological science, 33(4), 510-523