Here Are the Types of Goals Research Has Shown Will Actually Make You Happy

Most people are lousy at predicting what makes them happy

Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

Materialistic goals will never bring you genuine happiness.

A big house, a new Tesla, A prestigious job you don’t enjoy.

These are the types of goals that are heavily promoted on social media and, frankly, in real life. They are also the kinds of goals that are unlikely to make you happy.

In this article, I explore research on the types of goals that will—and won’t make most people happy.

Most of us set the wrong kinds of goals

A 2010 research paper by Sheldon, Gunz, Nichols, and Ferguson explores why people who prioritize extrinsic goals—such as money, fame, and image—often believe these pursuits will make them happy, even though evidence suggests otherwise.

The researchers suggest that this may be due to what’s called affective forecasting errors. This is a technical term to describe how people misjudge how future events will impact their emotional well-being.

Essentially, the study aims to understand why extrinsic goals remain appealing despite their lack of long-term emotional benefits.

To investigate this, the researchers conducted three studies involving college students.

In the first study, they surveyed 201 students about their current happiness and their orientation towards extrinsic versus intrinsic values, such as personal growth and community. Participants were then asked to predict their happiness after achieving specific extrinsic and intrinsic goals, both immediately and in the long term. This allowed the researchers to see if there was a disconnect between the students' current well-being and their expectations of future happiness from these goals.

The second study took a more experimental approach by assigning 64 students to pursue either extrinsic or intrinsic goals over a four-week period. This group was monitored to see if their well-being changed based on the type of goals they were working towards. By measuring progress and happiness at multiple points, the study aimed to provide a clearer picture of the actual benefits of achieving these goals.

In the third study, 116 students completed an internet survey that not only measured their extrinsic versus intrinsic value orientation but also their beliefs about the impact of extrinsic goals on their happiness.

The researchers wanted to understand why extrinsically oriented individuals hold these beliefs and whether they think these goals fulfill deeper psychological needs like autonomy and competence.

Through these studies, the researchers aimed to provide a comprehensive look at why extrinsic goals are appealing and whether the benefits people expect from these goals align with their actual experiences.

Extrinsic goals: Over-promising and underdelivering

The results from the three studies are quite revealing.

In the first study, participants who valued extrinsic goals like money, fame, and image more than intrinsic goals such as personal growth, intimacy, and community were found to be less happy overall.

Despite this, they believed that achieving these extrinsic goals would significantly boost their happiness, both immediately and in the long term. Interestingly, people who focused on extrinsic goals believed that these goals would make them much happier, but they didn't think the same about intrinsic goals. This indicates that their optimism and high expectations were particularly directed at extrinsic goals.

In the second study, the researchers took a closer look by having participants actually pursue either extrinsic or intrinsic goals over a four-week period.

Here, the findings were even more telling. Participants with a strong extrinsic value orientation predicted that achieving extrinsic goals would bring them more happiness.

However, when they did achieve these goals, their well-being did not improve.

On the other hand, participants who pursued intrinsic goals did experience an increase in happiness.

This shows that people who pursue extrinsic goals are too optimistic about the impact achieving those goals would have on their happiness.

In the third study, the researchers wanted to know what was causing this unjustified optimism about extrinsic goals.

The results showed that these people believe that achieving extrinsic goals would fulfill important psychological needs like autonomy and competence.

They also believed they could handle any potential negative consequences of these pursuits better than others.

If you work 65 hours a week in a very prestigious job that would “make your family proud,” you might be inclined to think that you are better suited than everyone else to handle those long hours and the sacrifices in your personal life that come with them.

Additionally, people thought that the benefits of extrinsic goals would be greater for themselves than for the average person.

So, when it comes to extrinsic goals, people underestimate the costs and overestimate the benefits, so when they actually achieve these goals, they are not nearly as happy as they thought they’d be.

Final Thoughts

The research highlights a significant mismatch between the expected and actual benefits of extrinsic goals for those who prioritize them.

People who focus on extrinsic values tend to believe that these goals will make them happier, but in reality, achieving these goals does not lead to increased well-being.

Instead, it is the pursuit of intrinsic goals that results in genuine improvements in happiness.

This finding is important because it suggests goals that involve personal growth, meaningful relationships, and community—could be a more effective way to feel happier.

If you can shift your focus from extrinsic to intrinsic goals, you may find more satisfaction and joy in your life.