WHOOP Goals
Turn a wish into action by naming the obstacle before you plan
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 92%
WHOOP, developed by NYU researcher Gabriele Oettingen, is a four-step mental-contrasting routine that beats naive positive thinking. First you state a Wish ('I'll go to the gym this afternoon'). Then you imagine the Outcome vividly, feeling how success would feel. Then you identify the Obstacle most likely to get in the way. Finally you make a Plan to handle that specific obstacle. The power is in the contrast: pairing the desired future with the real barrier surfaces what actually blocks you, so you form an if-then response instead of a vague aspiration. Oettingen found people who only 'think positive' are less likely to persevere; contrasting the wish against the obstacle is what closes the intention-action gap and drives follow-through.
Origin
Boardman credits NYU psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, who arrived from Germany skeptical of American 'think positive' culture and researched why it fails, producing the WOOP mental-contrasting method.
Core principles
- 01Thinking positive alone makes you less likely to follow through
- 02Naming the obstacle is what closes the intention-action gap
- 03Vividly feeling the outcome supplies the motivation
- 04A plan must be tied to a specific obstacle, not a vague hope
How to run it
- 1
Wish
Name a specific wish for the day or week, such as going to the gym this afternoon or looking at your phone less.
Pro tip Keep it concrete and time-bound so the later steps have something real to attach to.
- 2
Outcome
Close your eyes and vividly imagine the outcome. Really feel how achieving the wish would feel to you.
Pro tip The emotional rehearsal is what supplies motivation, so don't rush it.
- 3
Obstacle
Identify the thing most likely to get in the way of doing it. This is the step that naive positive thinking skips.
Watch out Skipping the obstacle is exactly why 'just think positive' goals fail to change behavior.
- 4
Plan
Make a concrete plan for handling that obstacle when it appears, closing the intention-action gap.
Pro tip Frame it as an if-then rule so the response is automatic when the obstacle shows up.
In the wild
Boardman's worked example: the wish is 'I'm going to the gym this afternoon.' She imagines the outcome and how strong she'd feel afterward. The obstacle is that by the end of the workday her motivation is gone. The plan is to lay out gym clothes in the morning so the barrier is removed before willpower fades, mirroring behavioral-activation therapy where patients commit to specific actions rather than insight alone.
→ The wish becomes a triggered action rather than an aspiration that evaporates by evening.
Common mistakes
Only doing the positive-thinking half
Imagining the wish and outcome but never naming the obstacle leaves you in the exact 'think positive' trap Oettingen showed reduces perseverance.
A plan not tied to a real obstacle
Generic resolutions ('try harder') aren't plans; the plan must answer the specific barrier you identified.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone who repeatedly sets goals (gym, phone use, diet) but stalls between wanting and doing.
Not ideal for
Complex multi-party projects that need structured planning beyond a single obstacle.
From the transcript
“she calls it whoop goals, W O O P... the W stands for, okay, what's your wish... what would be the outcome of that... then…”
“people who just like thought positive were actually less likely to persevere and do the thing that they wanted to do”
From the episode
Positive Psychology's Lessons For Coping With Stress - Dr Samantha Boardman - #358
Dr Samantha Boardman