A project by Bradley Hook
Writer, speaker, and entrepreneur Bradley Hook established The Values Institute as a way to lay the groundwork for his book Start With Values (Penguin Random House).
Find out more about Brad Hook.
Why Core Values?
Why do core values matter? They serve as a personal compass for success, a metric for well-being, and a framework for spiritual development. By regularly affirming your core values, you not only cope better with stress but also turn even the most mundane tasks into deeply fulfilling experiences.
Participants who affirmed their values had significantly lower cortisol responses to stress, compared with control participants.
Affirmation of Personal Values Buffers Neuroendocrine and Psychological Stress Responses. University of California.
Much has been written about “stress management” techniques that are primarily behavioral in nature — such as getting adequate sleep, regular exercise, and mental downtime; taking vacation; doing controlled breathing; practicing yoga or mindfulness meditation; or getting acupuncture treatments. But relatively little has been written recently on the benefits of self-disciplined articulation of a philosophical worldview and core values that help us weather the storms and devastations that inevitably rock our lives and careers.
David Brendel, MD, PhD, Harvard Business Review
It turns out that writing about your values is one of the most effective psychological interventions ever studied. In the short term, writing about personal values makes people feel more powerful, in control, proud, and strong. It also makes them feel more loving, connected, and empathetic toward others. It increases pain tolerance, enhances self-control, and reduces unhelpful rumination after a stressful experience.
In the long term, writing about values has been shown to boost GPAs, reduce doctor visits, improve mental health, and help with everything from weight loss to quitting smoking and reducing drinking. It helps people persevere in the face of discrimination and reduces self-handicapping. In many cases, these benefits are a result of a one-time mindset intervention. People who write about their values once, for ten minutes, show benefits months or even years later.
Professor Kelly McGonigal, Stanford University
