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College News
22 October 2004
Is setting goals the key to well-being?
High psychological well-being has been linked to a number of factors:
one such factor being setting goals and achieving them with effective
plans of action.
Psychologists at Royal Holloway, University of London are conducting research into whether improving goal setting and planning skills can increase a sense of psychological well-being.
With funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), a research team led by Royal Holloway's Professor Andrew MacLeod have developed the Goals and Plans (GAP) training programme, which teaches people how to set goals and plan effectively. Each GAP participant will be monitored over a three-week period, during which time they will participate in discussions and complete a number of simple exercises, while various components of well-being are measured.
Gap training has already been carried out at the college. The training has received positive feedback, and participants have reported higher levels of optimism, and a feeling of greater control when setting goals.
Professor MacLeod says "All the indications are that this will be a simple and successful way of helping people to identify and move towards things in their lives that they value and enjoy. It has potential to be of benefit to people from all walks of life. However, we do need to provide the evidence for it and therefore we would like to try the approach with a wide range of people from the local community. This is an opportunity to be a part of a really exciting, ground-breaking study."
The Psychology Department at Royal Holloway is looking for volunteers to take part in this exciting and rewarding programme. For further information contact Emma Coates, Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London 01784 414623.
ENDS
For press information contact Royal Holloway, University of London,
Press Office:
Christine Long
Press & PR Officer
01784 443967, christine.long@rhul.ac.uk
Vicky Cousins
Assistant Press & Communications Officer
01784 414480, victoria.cousins@rhul.ac.uk
Editor's Notes
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's leading research funding and training agency addressing economic and social concerns. We aim to provide high quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government. The issues considered include economic competitiveness, the effectiveness of public services and policy, and our quality of life. For further information visit www.esrc.ac.uk/
