Whether you plan to cure cancer, lose weight or be the world's best parent, results of a new study suggest you'd do well to keep your mouth shut about it. And not just to avoid annoying other people.

Researchers report that when dealing with identity goals — that is, the aspirations that define who we are — sharing our intentions doesn't necessarily motivate achievement. On the contrary, a series of experiments shows that when others take notice of our plans, performance is compromised because we gain "a premature sense of completeness" about the goal.

"It's very surprising," says study co-author Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology at New York University. "We always think that if we talk about our intentions, we'll feel obligated to enact them . . . But when it comes to identity goals, our (study's) message is: don't make them public."

The study, which is published in the May edition of the journal Psychological Science, focuses on law and psychology students hoping to excel in their respective fields. But Gollwitzer says the findings have implications for all "highly committed" individuals who are in pursuit of a goal germane to who they are or how they wish to be seen.

"(Take) a mother who talks about all the great things she's going to do for her kids — help them do better in school, get better test scores, give them extra training — while all the other mothers nod in approval," says Gollwitzer. "The chances are high that she won't do as much as she could to achieve those goals because she's already viewed as an ideal mother just by sharing her wonderful intentions."

He explains the intentions function as a symbol of possessing the desired identity.

This is evident in the statement of a "high-order goal," such as losing weight to become a healthier person, but not in planning to drop three pounds to fit into a dress.

Ian Newby-Clark, a professor of social psychology at the University of Guelph in southern Ontario, says the research is important because it exposes the limitations of earlier research by proving public commitment might actually "backfire" where issues of identity are concerned.

"Gollwitzer is saying that in certain conditions — probably a lot — people can actually become less active in their goal pursuit this way," says Newby-Clark. "And he's absolutely right."

Fuschia Sirois, an expert on goal attainment, suspects the effect is especially strong among individuals who express high levels of goal-commitment for the same reason insecure men often buy flashy cars: overcompensation.

"There can be a feeling that if you really express your desire strongly enough, you can get there, you can overcome the obstacles," explains Sirois, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Windsor. "Those intentions may be compensating for actual belief that you can do it."

Sirois theorizes the study's findings also have implications for people with a more limited view of their goals and the steps required to achieve them.

"If you're more short-term focused, (getting noticed) may decrease your commitment to follow through with those intentions; you lose sight of the larger goal because you can't see the forest for the trees," she says. "But if you're the sort of person who thinks about things in the big picture, praise will only reinforce your motivation to continue on."

St. Albert, Alta.'s Laurel Vespi, for one, credits the encouragement of her peers for helping her reach identity-related goals such as running a marathon, starting a new business and writing a book.

"For most of us, if we could do it without the support of someone else, we'd just do it," says Vespi, a certified life coach with Stone Circle Coaching. "Where (public) recognition might get in the way of the goal is when people aren't ready to take on this new and improved aspect of themselves."