Would your answer be - "I can't" or "I don't" eat chocolate cake?
Without thinking really hard, either answer seems ok, right?
But guess what? Each answer has a very different psychological impact on our behavior.
"I can't" is a restriction you've imposed on yourself. It undermines your sense of power.
In a study, students who had healthy eating goals were told to either say "I can't" or "I don't" when faced with a temptation. On their way out of the lab, they were offered a chocolate bar or granola bar as reward. What were the results? 64% who answered "I don't" were able to refuse the chocolate bar and opted for the granola bar vs 39% who answered "I can't".
In another study, women with fitness goals were also asked to answer "I can't" or "I don't" when faced with a temptation to skip gym, etc. and to stop using the phrases if the phrases don't help them stick to their fitness goals. By the end of the study, 8 out of the 10 women were still using the "I don't" strategy vs only 1 out of the 10 women who used the "I can't" strategy.
I did't realize how your choice between "I can't" and "I don't" could have a tremendous impact on our behavior until I read this old article from Forbes.
Anyway, this is something to try if current strategies don't work!😉 I think the "I don't" strategy could also be used to get rid of our bad habits. Haha... 🙈😜
