I am taking better aim at my values. Does it matter if I hit the target?

Yesterday I told you that it might be less important what values you find important than what you do about your values.  I also suggested that you set some goals for yourself that are in line with your values (Feb. 10th).  There is a wealth of information and research on how taking aim with goals helps you reach your targets. Because values are a personally-meaningful way of behaving (Feb. 3rd), then living congruently with values should help you live better.

Quite a bit of the research that psychologists have conducted about living according to values has been done with people who are coping with physical problems.  One study looked at patients’ distress living with cancer and found that when patients lived according to their values they experienced less cancer-related distress and an improved sense of well-being (Ciarrochi et al., 2010). A study of 140 adults with chronic pain found that success in living according to values predicted better functioning, no matter how high the level of pain (McCracken & Yang, 2006).  A study of patients living with epilepsy found that management of seizures, quality of life, and well-being outcomes were impacted by attaining values.  With people who do not have health challenges, researchers found that using their VIA strengths was related to goal progress and then to well-being on an ongoing basis (Linley et al., 2010). This suggests that healthy or not, taking aim at your values and acting in a way that you think is meaningful will contribute to a sense of well-being in your life.  If you haven’t had a chance yet to set some goals related to your values, maybe today is a good day.

References

Ciarrochi, J., Fisher, D., & Lane, L. (2011). The link between value motives, value success, and well-being among people diagnosed with cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 20, 1184-1192. doi:10.1002/pon.1832

McCracken LM, Yang S (2006). The role of values in a contextual cognitive-behavioral approach to chronic pain. Pain, 123, 137-145. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2006.02.021

Linley, P.A., Nieslon, K.M., Gillett, R., & Bas-Diener, R. (2010). Using signature strengths in pursuit of goals: Effects on goal profess, need satisfaction, and well-being and implications for coaching psychologists. iInternational Coaching Psychology Review, 5, 1-11.

Lundgren T., Dahl J., Hayes S.C. (2008). Evaluation of mediators of change in the treatment of epilepsy with acceptance and commitment therapy. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 225-235.