Front Psychol May 2021 PMID 34054628

A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment.

Guoxia Wang, Yi Wang, Xiaosong Gai

Download social card

Mentions

27
Peak: 3 in Apr 2025
across 4 sources since Mar 2018

Extended reach

30,396
potential audience

Total likes

162

Video views

659

Mentions per month

Mar 2018 – Oct 2025

Where it's discussed

  • Bluesky17 posts
  • X / Twitter6 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • News2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The overall sentiment reflects moderate interest, with posts mentioning methodological aspects like combining mental contrasting with implementation intentions, and example discussions include phrases like 'powerful tool for motivation' and notes on how combining techniques enhances effectiveness. The tone varies from supportive to cautious, demonstrating a balanced but not deeply impactful perspective.

AgreementNeither agree nor disagree

The discussions show mixed responses, with some posts endorsing the effectiveness of mental contrasting techniques, while others express skepticism or focus on other topics.

InterestModerate interest

Many posts briefly mention meta-analyses or related research, indicating moderate curiosity but not deep engagement with the specific study.

EngagementModerate engagement

Several discussions reference interventions, effects, or related methodologies, suggesting some level of active interest and understanding.

ImpactNeutral impact

Most posts seem to acknowledge the importance of the research without asserting it has transformative influence, reflecting a neutral impact perception.

Abstract in brief

  • This meta-analysis investigates how mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) helps people achieve their goals, combining data from 21 studies with over 15,900 participants, and finds that MCII has a small to medium positive effect on goal attainment.
  • The effectiveness of MCII was greater in studies where the intervention involved direct interactions between participants and experimenters, compared to those involving interactions with written documents, highlighting the importance of personalized engagement.
  • Although MCII appears to be a brief and effective goal-setting strategy, the presence of publication bias suggests the true effect might be smaller, and more research is needed to fully understand how different moderators influence its success.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Susana Wadgymar
@smwadgymar.bsky.social · Bluesky

Helpful papers for trainees #4: Pot size matters: a meta-analysis of the effects of rooting volume on plant growth This one is for the plant biologists. Experimental design matters!

Dec 16, 2024 · 74 likes · 27 shares View post →
bioRxiv Neuroscience
@biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Bluesky

A meta-analysis of the effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex transcriptome suggests long-term effects on myelin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.22.624315v1

Nov 24, 2024 · 12 likes · 1 share View post →
Megan Hagenauer
@mhagenauer.bsky.social · Bluesky

Apr 24, 2025 · 5 likes · 7 shares View post →
Megan Hagenauer
@mhagenauer.bsky.social · Bluesky

Oct 8, 2025 · 5 likes · 4 shares View post →
Aaron Rentfrew
@AaronRentfrew · X

@perushka Try some exercises around Mental Contrasting https://t.co/KDndol6hRr

Jun 30, 2022 · 4 likes · 19,331 followers View post →
Derikp
@derikp · X

Jul 31, 2025 · 3 likes · 783 followers View post →

All mentions

bioRxiv Neuroscience
@biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Bluesky

A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Chronic Stress on the Prefrontal Transcriptome in Animal Models and Convergence with Existing Human Data https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.23.683091v1

Oct 24, 2025 · 3 likes View post →
bioRxivpreprint
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · Bluesky

A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Chronic Stress on the Prefrontal Transcriptome in Animal Models and Convergence with Existing Human Data https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.23.683091v1

Oct 24, 2025 · 1 like View post →
Megan Hagenauer
@mhagenauer.bsky.social · Bluesky

Oct 8, 2025 · 5 likes · 4 shares View post →
Derikp
@derikp · X

Jul 31, 2025 · 3 likes · 783 followers View post →
BehavEcolPapers
@behavecolpapers.bsky.social · Bluesky

A Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Early Life Stress on the Prefrontal Cortex Transcriptome Reveals Long‐Term Downregulation of Myelin‐Related Gene Expression Br&Beh

Jun 23, 2025 View post →
Enrica Boda & team
@enricaboda-team.bsky.social · Bluesky

A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Early Life Stress on the Prefrontal Cortex Transcriptome Reveals Long-Term Downregulation of Myelin-Related Gene Expression onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Jun 19, 2025 · 1 like View post →
Paul Bruno
@paul-bruno.com · Bluesky

IQ study retracted in fallout from decades-old misconduct report retractionwatch.com/2025/05/28/i... (One retracted study apparently substantially contaminated a meta-analysis of the effects of motivation on IQ test scores.)

May 28, 2025 · 2 likes View post →
Megan Hagenauer
@mhagenauer.bsky.social · Bluesky

Apr 24, 2025 · 5 likes · 7 shares View post →
bioRxivpreprint
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · Bluesky

Short Report: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Cortical Transcriptome in Animal Models https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.21.648791v1

Apr 23, 2025 View post →
bioRxiv Neuroscience
@biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Bluesky

Short Report: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Cortical Transcriptome in Animal Models https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.21.648791v1

Apr 23, 2025 View post →
Susana Wadgymar
@smwadgymar.bsky.social · Bluesky

Helpful papers for trainees #4: Pot size matters: a meta-analysis of the effects of rooting volume on plant growth This one is for the plant biologists. Experimental design matters!

Dec 16, 2024 · 74 likes · 27 shares View post →
bioRxiv Neuroscience
@biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Bluesky

A meta-analysis of the effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex transcriptome suggests long-term effects on myelin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.22.624315v1

Nov 24, 2024 · 12 likes · 1 share View post →
bioRxivpreprint
@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social · Bluesky

A meta-analysis of the effects of early life stress on the prefrontal cortex transcriptome suggests long-term effects on myelin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.11.22.624315v1

Nov 24, 2024 View post →
Megan Hagenauer
@mhagenauer.bsky.social · Bluesky

The Brain Data Alchemy Project: Come see our posters at #SfN24!

Oct 4, 2024 · 1 like View post →
Ian O'Flynn
@delibnet.bsky.social · Bluesky

EJPR early veiw: Theuwis et al. on A meta-analysis of the effects of democratic innovations on participants’ attitudes, behaviour and capabilities ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Sep 18, 2024 · 1 like · 2 shares View post →
Pedro De Bruyckere
@thebandb.bsky.social · Bluesky

A meta-analysis of the effects of cultural capital on students' reading performance (Best Evidence in Brief) theeconomyofmeaning.com/2024/03/27/a...

Mar 27, 2024 View post →
ConsortiaCare.ca
@ConsortiaCares · X

RT @TheHenleyShift: Mental contrasting is a powerful tool for building motivation. Contrary to popular thought, motivation doesn't build b…

Sep 25, 2022 · 1 share · 45 followers View post →
Adam Henley, MSc, RN
@northHealer · X

Mental contrasting is a powerful tool for building motivation. Contrary to popular thought, motivation doesn't build by simply visualizing success. Motivation grows when you notice the gap between your current state and these larger, existential goals. https://t.co/Hn8Iz3eJL4

Sep 25, 2022 · 1 like · 1 share · 2,797 followers View post →
Aaron Rentfrew
@AaronRentfrew · X

@perushka Try some exercises around Mental Contrasting https://t.co/KDndol6hRr

Jun 30, 2022 · 4 likes · 19,331 followers View post →
Jordan Reutas, PhD
@JordanReutas · X

10/ When mental contrasting is combined with implementation intentions, research shows this is more powerful than either technique alone. https://t.co/VS672zRsRK

May 15, 2022 · 1 like · 471 followers View post →
Prof Andy Lane
@AndyLane27 · X

Interventions to achieve goals? https://t.co/eN9iPJO1Pm

Jan 11, 2022 · 2 likes · 6,223 followers View post →
APSA & ICA Political Communication Divisions
@polcomm.bsky.social · Bluesky

New #openaccess #PolComm article: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Cross-Cutting Exposure on Political Participation, by Matthes @univienna, Johannes Knoll, @SebaValenz @fcomuc @ucatolica, Hopmann @cfjsdu @SyddanskUniv, and @CvSikorski @unikold...

Jul 20, 2019 · 1 share View post →
Bob C-J and Geoff Cumming
@thenewstats.bsky.social · Bluesky

Submitted a meta-analysis of the effects of red on attraction. Several first for me: * first adversarial collaboration * first meta-analysis (thanks @wviechtb!) * first project to take 2 years to complete All results and scripts on the OSF: https://osf.io/xy47p/

Mar 22, 2018 View post →