Does making a New Year's resolution in January really help?
Many people decide 'New Year's resolutions' in order to turn over the new year and get rid of bad habits and acquire new skills. Scientific media Live Science summarizes whether it makes sense to set a New Year's resolution at the beginning of the year.
Do New Year's resolutions really work? | Live Science
One of the theories that supports the claim that New Year's resolutions work is the 'Fresh Start Effect.' The 2014 paper that advocated this showed that milestone events such as new years, birthdays, long vacations, and the beginning of the week and month were associated with increases in people's 'aspirational behavior'. .
The research team points out that these 'temporal landmarks' divide people's perceptions 'before and after the landmark' and allow them to look back on past failures. In addition, the presence of landmarks promotes thinking about the big picture in time, making it more likely that people will pursue long-term satisfaction rather than immediate satisfaction. Based on this research, the research team proposed the existence of a 'fresh start effect,' in which milestones such as the New Year promote commitment to new goals.
However, it seems that the fresh start effect has never been tested in an experiment, and there are many people who have actually failed their New Year's resolutions. Robert West , professor emeritus of health psychology at University College London in the UK, says the reason why New Year's resolutions fail is because human desires only exist 'in the moment.' tells Live Science.
“Throughout our waking hours, we pursue and act on what we want most in the moment, not what we wanted an hour ago, a day ago, five minutes ago,” West said. 'That's why it's so hard for us to do what we thought we were going to do. When the time comes, we forget what we wanted, or another desire is stronger.' I will.”
The key to a successful New Year's resolution may lie in what kind of resolution to set. A study published in 2020 found that people who set approach-oriented aspirations to 'start something new' were more likely to maintain their aspirations, while those who set avoidance-oriented aspirations to 'stop doing something.' Humans were shown to have lower retention rates. In other words, if you rephrase the resolution of ``stop eating sweets for dieting'' as ``eat fruit several times a day,'' you are more likely to maintain your resolution.
It turns out that New Year's resolutions can be maintained longer by changing the ``wording'' - GIGAZINE
And Susan Mitchie , a professor of health psychology at University College London, says that the intention-behavior gap that exists in humans can affect whether or not people are able to keep their New Year's resolutions. pointed out. “Even if you feel a strong desire to change, emotions alone cannot make things happen,” Mitchie said. ' said.
A paper published in the academic journal Health Psychology in 2016 found that an increase in normative consciousness and self-efficacy, which recognizes one's own potential, has a certain positive effect on health-related behaviors such as exercise and dieting. Reported. In addition, a 2002 paper published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that people who set goals as their New Year's resolutions were more likely to achieve their goals six months later than those who did not set them as their New Year's resolutions but pursued the same goals. was found to be 44% more likely to achieve
'The trick to controlling behavior,' says West, 'is to plan ahead so that when you do what you decide to do or don't do what you don't want to do, you're more likely to stick to that plan.' A New Year's resolution is a way to make it happen: make a big plan to quit smoking, eat healthier, hit the gym, and maybe talk to people about it and get some support. If we succeed in doing this, the desire to stick to the plan will outweigh the unwillingness to stick to it.'
Techniques for keeping your New Year's resolutions alive include joining a group with the same goals and making it a habit and part of your life. A 2013 paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that habits can help people stick to their goals, even when their personal motivation and willpower are low. “Creating habits and doing tasks repeatedly can be a useful way to work around a lack of motivation,” explained Live Science.
Tips to acquire 'habits' to get a productive and happy life - GIGAZINE
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