diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 52171fcf..7150efdf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 - Periodic jobs with IDs may now be removed by ID using the new `PeriodicJobBundle.RemoveByID` and `PeriodicJobBundle.RemoveManyByID`. [PR #1071](https://github.com/riverqueue/river/pull/1071).
 
+### Changed
+
+- Decrease `serviceutil.MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault` from 10 to 7, lowering the effective limit on most internal exponential backoffs from ~512 seconds to 64 seconds. Further lowered the leader elector's keep leadership backoff interval to cap out at 4 seconds since leadership without a successful heartbeat will be lost soon after that anyway. [PR #1079](https://github.com/riverqueue/river/pull/1079).
+
 ### Fixed
 
 - Fix snoozed events emitted from `rivertest.Worker` when snooze duration is zero seconds. [PR #1057](https://github.com/riverqueue/river/pull/1057).
diff --git a/internal/leadership/elector.go b/internal/leadership/elector.go
index 55666b2c..7d17337c 100644
--- a/internal/leadership/elector.go
+++ b/internal/leadership/elector.go
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ func (e *Elector) keepLeadershipLoop(ctx context.Context) error {
 				return err
 			}
 
-			sleepDuration := serviceutil.ExponentialBackoff(numErrors, serviceutil.MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)
+			sleepDuration := serviceutil.ExponentialBackoff(numErrors, 3)
 			e.Logger.ErrorContext(ctx, e.Name+": Error attempting reelection", e.errorSlogArgs(err, numErrors, sleepDuration)...)
 			serviceutil.CancellableSleep(ctx, sleepDuration)
 			continue
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ func (e *Elector) attemptResignLoop(ctx context.Context) {
 
 	for attempt := 1; attempt <= maxNumErrors; attempt++ {
 		if err := e.attemptResign(ctx, attempt); err != nil {
-			sleepDuration := serviceutil.ExponentialBackoff(attempt, serviceutil.MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)
+			sleepDuration := serviceutil.ExponentialBackoff(attempt, maxNumErrors)
 			e.Logger.ErrorContext(ctx, e.Name+": Error attempting to resign", e.errorSlogArgs(err, attempt, sleepDuration)...)
 			serviceutil.CancellableSleep(ctx, sleepDuration)
 
diff --git a/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util.go b/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util.go
index 164e3fe5..dde3bbe6 100644
--- a/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util.go
+++ b/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util.go
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ func CancellableSleepC(ctx context.Context, sleepDuration time.Duration) <-chan
 // into a ridiculously distant future. This constant is typically injected into
 // the CancellableSleepExponentialBackoff function. It could technically take
 // another value instead, but shouldn't unless there's a good reason to do so.
-const MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault = 10
+//
+// The value of 7 corresponds to a max sleep duration of 64 seconds ±10% jitter.
+const MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault = 7
 
 // ExponentialBackoff returns a duration for a reasonable exponential backoff
 // interval for a service based on the given attempt number, which can then be
@@ -52,6 +54,15 @@ const MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault = 10
 // +/- 10% random jitter. Sleep is cancelled if the given context is cancelled.
 //
 // Attempt should start at one for the first backoff/failure.
+//
+// Backoff values when using MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault are:
+// - 1s
+// - 2s
+// - 4s
+// - 8s
+// - 16s
+// - 32s
+// - 64s
 func ExponentialBackoff(attempt, maxAttemptsBeforeReset int) time.Duration {
 	retrySeconds := exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(attempt, maxAttemptsBeforeReset)
 
diff --git a/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util_test.go b/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util_test.go
index fa4bc730..8b991d35 100644
--- a/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util_test.go
+++ b/rivershared/util/serviceutil/service_util_test.go
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@ func TestExponentialBackoff(t *testing.T) {
 	require.InDelta(t, 8.0, ExponentialBackoff(4, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault).Seconds(), 8.0*0.1)
 	require.InDelta(t, 16.0, ExponentialBackoff(5, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault).Seconds(), 16.0*0.1)
 	require.InDelta(t, 32.0, ExponentialBackoff(6, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault).Seconds(), 32.0*0.1)
+	require.InDelta(t, 64.0, ExponentialBackoff(7, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault).Seconds(), 64.0*0.1)
+	require.InDelta(t, 1.0, ExponentialBackoff(8, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault).Seconds(), 1.0*0.1)
 }
 
 func TestExponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(t *testing.T) {
@@ -89,8 +91,5 @@ func TestExponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, 16, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(5, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
 	require.Equal(t, 32, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(6, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
 	require.Equal(t, 64, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(7, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
-	require.Equal(t, 128, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(8, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
-	require.Equal(t, 256, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(9, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
-	require.Equal(t, 512, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(10, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault)))
-	require.Equal(t, 1, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(11, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault))) // resets
+	require.Equal(t, 1, int(exponentialBackoffSecondsWithoutJitter(8, MaxAttemptsBeforeResetDefault))) // resets
 }