Are you too impulsive for your own good? Do you frequently find yourself angrily tweeting at 2am, posting things you later regret enough to erase? You may want to log out of Twitter and read on.

Many of us act on impulse. We crave instant gratification and so we often find ourselves eating things we know we shouldn’t, watching Netflix when we know we should be studying, or saying mean things we later regret.

Nothing screams “instant gratification” like social media. With almost no effort, we can watch videos, read articles, and express whatever is on our minds to audiences of hundreds, thousands, or even millions of others. Unsurprisingly, this ability to instantaneously publish our thoughts can get us into trouble.

Emotional Outbursts and Possible Twitter-ventions

If your account is publicly available, you can’t control who reads your posts or how far they spread. According to researchers at the University of Munster, emotionally charged content is spread more quickly than neutral messaging. This means that if you have a regrettable social media outburst, it will be difficult for others to forget. No one will remember your tweet about what you ate for breakfast, but they will remember when you post an incendiary tweet about the “haters and fools” whose opinions differ from yours.

So, why do we have these outbursts in the first place? When we experience emotions like anger, our self-control suffers, leading us to act more aggressively. However, when we distract ourselves from the emotions we are feeling rather than ruminating about the experience that caused them, we are better able to control our aggression.

Remembering a time when we behaved cooperatively can also help us to regain self-control. In one experiment, participants who remembered a time when they behaved cooperatively were more likely to believe that “one little sin might be one of many,” and were thus less likely to give in to temptation on a later task. For example, if you think about a time when, say, you worked with a large group of people in the hopes that you might win a contest (or perhaps an election of some kind), you may be more well-equipped to resist publicly insulting someone who disagrees with you.

For those trying to prevent themselves from impulsively sending regrettable social media posts, here are a few tips to consider:

1. Take a step back. Think of a time when you cooperatively worked with others. Maybe you had a really great experience volunteering at a local soup kitchen, or maybe you have a really great and productive team of coworkers that you enjoy working with. Putting yourself into this frame of mind might actually decrease your desire to send that overly-emotional tweet.
2. Take the perspective of someone who might advise you. For instance, what might your mother think if you decided to post that antagonistic tweet? If your mother is anything like mine, she would probably tell you that posting angry tweets is not a worthwhile use of time. By thinking about the situation from someone else’s perspective, we diminish the influence of our own irrational emotions, allowing us to think more clearly. This more rational state will allow us to make better decisions and to stay out of trouble.
3. Find an accountability partner. This could be someone who also has trouble biting their tongue (or fingers?) when they get emotional, or even someone who is trying to reach another goal. In this relationship, you hold one another accountable for your actions. If one of you sends an angry tweet or decides to skip the gym and stay at home eating pizza, you will have the other person to answer to. They might ask you what “covfefe” means, and you might ask them why they couldn’t make it to the gym. Being reluctant to disappoint this other person will help keep you on track and off of Twitter.
4. If all else fails, try to distract yourself from the emotion you are feeling. Are you enraged over something someone might have said about you? Sad that your friends seem to be ignoring you? Stay away from Twitter! Instead, do something else to occupy your mind. Go golfing, bake some cookies, or pick up one of those books on your shelf that you’ve been meaning to read. After some time, you may find that your emotions have subsided and you no longer feel the need to berate someone online.

It can sometimes seem like our impulses are impossible to overcome. However, by proactively taking a step back to evaluate whether we really need to give in to our base desires, we may be able to overcome them and to prevent future embarrassment and/or international catastrophe.

Ciara Lutz is a research associate at Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight, an applied behavioral science research lab that helps people be happier, healthier and wealthier.

References

Denson, T. F., Pedersen, W. C., Friese, M., Hahm, A., & Roberts, L. (2011). Understanding impulsive aggression: Angry rumination and reduced self-control capacity are mechanisms underlying the provocation-aggression relationship, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(6), 850-862. doi: 10.1177/0146167211401420

Steinmetz, J., & Mussweiler, T. (2017). Only one small sin: How self-construal effects self-control, British Journal of Social Psychology, 56, 675-688. doi:10.1111/bjso.12208

Stieglitz, S., & Dang-Xuan, L. (2013). Emotions and information diffusion in social media–Sentiment of microblogs and sharing behavior, Journal of Management Information Systems, 29(4), 217-247. doi: 10.2753/MIS0742-1222290408

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(Image Credit: Victor Freitas)

The benefits of regular exercise are well-established. People who exercise regularly are at less risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, osteoporosis, and many other diseases.

Research Overview

Despite widespread awareness of at least some of these benefits, about 50% of adults drop out of exercise programs after six months. In an article published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, researchers highlighted that 63% of new members of a fitness center in Brazil stopped attending within three months.

 In a 2015 review of 24 studies, Ryan E. Rhodes and Andrew Kates found that the pleasure we feel during exercise is related to exercise behavior. Interestingly, the pleasure that we feel after exercising does not seem to be related to exercise behavior. A comprehensive review in 2011 led by Panteleimon Ekkekakis of Iowa State University concluded that the pleasure experienced during exercise is reduced at higher intensities, while most people experience pleasure at lower intensities. Michelle L. Segar and Caroline R. Richardson suggest the pleasure experienced during activity should be emphasized. This means focusing on immediate rewards (like experiencing pleasure) rather than long-term rewards (like increased health and reduced risk of disease).

Advice

The above research demonstrates why we need to rethink our approach to exercise.

1. When you exercise, prioritize pleasure and enjoyment. Whether you’re running, swimming, cycling, lifting weights, or participating in group-exercise classes, try to ensure that it makes you feel good during exercise. You will be more likely to continue.
2. Although there are some exceptions, we can expect most people to feel pleasant at lower intensities. These lower intensities may be less effective than higher intensities, but the best exercise is the exercise you do regularly. If lowering the intensity makes you feel better, it may help you maintain your active lifestyle.
3. Rather than exercising for better overall health or for weight loss, try to exercise for something that is more immediately rewarding for you. Think about exercise as an opportunity to take a break from your obligations, to indulge in audio content that you are excited to hear (such as a podcast or an audiobook), to meet with an exercise buddy, or to feel more pleasure and energy.

Beginning a new exercise program and incorporating physical activity into your everyday lifestyle can seem daunting. People typically avoid unpleasant and unrewarding activities during leisure times and pursue pleasant and rewarding activities. Physical activity and exercise should not be thought of as punishment. If you exercise for pleasure and enjoyment, the evidence suggests that you’ll be more likely to continue.

I sincerely hope that the advice in this post helps you become a happier and healthier. Happy New Year!

Zachary Zenko is a postdoctoral associate at The Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University, an applied behavioral science research lab that helps people be happier, healthier, and wealthier. Zack’s research focuses on promoting physical activity and exercise behavior. You can follow him on Twitter @zackzenko or you can e-mail him at zachary.zenko@duke.edu.

References

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60, 2563-2582.

Ekkekakis, P., Parfitt, G., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2011). The pleasure and displeasure people feel when they exercise at different intensities: Decennial update and progress towards a tripartite rationale for exercise intensity prescription. Sports Medicine, 41, 641-671.

Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. M. (2014). Holding The Hunger Games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management Science, 60, 283-299.

Rhodes, R. E., & Kates, A. (2015). Can the affective response to exercise predict future motives and physical activity behavior? A systematic review of published evidence. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 49, 715-731.

Robison, J. I., & Rogers. M. A. (1994). Adherence to exercise programmes. Recommendations. Sports Medicine, 17, 39-52.

Segar, M. L., & Richardson, C. R. (2014). Prescribing pleasure and meaning: Cultivating walking motivation and maintenance. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47, 838-841.

Sperandei, S., Vieira, M. C., & Reis, A. C. (2016). Adherence to physical activity in an unsupervised setting: Explanatory variables for high attrition rates among fitness center members. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 19, 916-920.

Statistic Brain. (2017). New Years Resolution Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/

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