Doubt You’ll Meet A Goal? Try Doubting The Doubt, Researchers Say

Study suggests that acknowledging misguided negative thoughts can boost confidence.

Upon encountering repeated failures or hurdles, it’s normal for people to start questioning themselves. A nursing student who just failed their certification exam for the third time, for example. Once such uncertainties creep in, it’s typical for doubt to grow and eventually impede progress and success altogether.

Interesting research from The Ohio State University has a surprising suggestion for anyone running into a bout of self-doubt: Doubt your own doubts!

Psychologist Patrick Carroll discovered that questioning the validity of your goal doubts can actually strengthen commitment rather than weaken it. While most research shows that doubting your goals leads straight to giving up, this study reveals a hidden escape route. Doubt your doubts, and watch your commitment bounce back.

When Goal Doubts Lead to Quitting

Carroll investigated what happens during an “action crisis”—that pivotal moment when people seriously question whether to continue pursuing an important goal or abandon it entirely. Think of the aspiring doctor who fails organic chemistry, the entrepreneur whose startup hits a wall, or the musician who can’t land an audition.

Research has consistently shown these moments predict lower commitment and eventual goal abandonment. But Carroll wondered whether processes operating at a different level of awareness might change this pattern.

The Psychology Behind Doubting Your Doubts

The first experiment involved 267 online participants who completed a questionnaire measuring how much they questioned their most important personal goal. Then came the twist. Participants were randomly assigned to write about either a time they felt confident in their thinking or a time they doubted their thinking. Finally, they rated how committed they felt.

Among people who wrote about past confidence, those with more goal doubts showed lower commitment—exactly what prior research would predict. But participants who wrote about past doubt told a completely different story. Those experiencing higher levels of goal doubt actually reported stronger commitment to their goals compared to people with fewer doubts.

Carroll’s research draws on Self-Validation Theory, which proposes that having thoughts isn’t enough to guide behavior. People also need to perceive those thoughts as valid. When participants were induced to feel uncertain about their thinking in general, that uncertainty attached itself to their goal doubts.

A second study with 130 college students confirmed these findings using a different manipulation. Participants completed the goal-doubt questionnaire using either their dominant hand or their non-dominant hand. Writing with the non-dominant hand feels awkward and shaky, which research shows induces doubt about whatever you’re writing.

Those using their non-dominant hand reported less confidence in their answers. And once again, the paradox emerged: higher goal doubts combined with this induced uncertainty led to greater goal commitment rather than less. People who used their dominant hand showed the typical pattern—more goal doubts meant less commitment.

The second study also measured what was happening psychologically. Results showed that confidence in one’s thoughts mediated the entire effect. The hand-writing manipulation worked by first affecting how certain people felt about their goal doubts, which then influenced their commitment levels.

Two Levels of Thinking About Goals

The research, published in Self and Identity, reveals what psychologists call the distinction between cognition and meta-cognition. A primary thought like “I doubt whether to continue this goal” operates at the cognitive level. But thinking about that thought—”I doubt whether my doubts are valid”—operates at a meta-cognitive level.

In most action crisis situations, people think “I am certain that I have doubts about this goal,” which typically leads to giving up. But when people instead think “I doubt whether I have doubts about this goal,” the relationship reverses.

Carroll tested these effects specifically when people were in a deliberative mindset—actively weighing the pros and cons of continuing their goal pursuit. Both experiments showed a significant interaction between action crisis level and the doubt manipulation on goal commitment.

When Doubt Might Actually Help

This doesn’t mean people should ignore all doubts. The study involved manipulating doubt through exercises unrelated to the goals themselves—writing about past experiences or using different hands. Carroll emphasizes that doubts during an action crisis can sometimes signal legitimate problems that require disengagement from unworkable goals.

Previous research showed action crises predict goal disengagement, but couldn’t explain why some people renew their commitment instead. This study suggests meta-cognitive confidence or doubt may be the missing piece.

Carroll notes that overusing meta-cognitive doubt carries risks. Constantly doubting one’s doubts could undermine intellectual humility and wise judgment. The findings also reveal potential for manipulation—others might weaponize it through gaslighting, inducing doubt in someone’s valid concerns to control their behavior.

The research represents a first step in understanding how meta-cognitive processes shape the relationship between action crises and goal commitment. While most prior work focused solely on primary-level thoughts, this study demonstrates that secondary-level assessments of those thoughts can fundamentally alter their effects on behavior.