According to Cointelegraph, New York University School of Law professors Max Raskin and Jack Millman recently published a paper discussing the legalities surrounding the use of blockchain-based smart contracts for 'personal growth bets.' These single-party contracts are designed for self-improvement, with the individual engaging in a bet with themselves to start or stop a certain act during a given period of time or by a certain date. The researchers argue that incentives can have a positive impact on a person's ability to succeed at difficult personal undertakings, but without accountability, such incentives are less likely to work. They propose a scheme where a smart contract is conceived on the blockchain using 'contractware' to enforce compliance with the contract's terms. However, the legalities surrounding self-contracts and their enforceability are somewhat unclear. The researchers claim there should be no legal impedance preventing someone from tying up their own financial resources in a scheme to bet on oneself and, provided the terms are given legal 'consideration,' such a contract should ostensibly be legally binding.