Psychology of Resolutions

With 2024 being a page from your old calendar, people around the globe are pulling up their socks and turning a new leaf to embrace their ‘New Me’ by making New Year's resolutions for 2025. As per the global surveys conducted by Ipsos, 85% of Indian respondents reported that they had made resolutions. However, less than half of them likely stuck with it till the end. As per an article published in Hindustan Times, some of the most popular resolutions set by Indians for 2025 are: Improving their fitness, travelling more, giving up on smoking and drinking, reading more, spending more carefully, learning cooking and sleeping on time. All of the above-listed goals seem exciting and focused on self-improvement.

Still, to avoid a repeat of the previous year's pursuit of our goals, It would be beneficial for us to understand more about the psychology behind resolutions, and explore the science behind how we can make meaningful and achievable goals.

Psychologists Dai, Milkman, and Riis (2014) attempt to define New Year's resolutions as "a deliberate and goal-oriented commitment made at the beginning of a new year, often aimed at personal growth, habit formation, or behavioural change, motivated by the psychological desire for self-improvement and a fresh start.". There is vast literature attempting to explore why people are so driven to make these resolutions. The most common phenomenon attributed to this behaviour is called the ‘Fresh Start Effect’.

According to this phenomenon, Temporal Landmarks or significant periods in time that provide a break from the past and give us a feeling of a fresh start can create a psychological separation from past failures and allow people to feel like they are starting anew. These temporal landmarks are not only the New Year's day. They can also be birthdays or even Mondays.? Rituals also have a role to play in our motivation.

The New Year's Eve rituals—countdowns, fireworks, toasts—all create a sense of importance and emotional connection. These moments make our goals feel less like random ideas and more like promises to ourselves, boosting our motivation to stick with them (Norton & Gino, 2014).?

On the other side of the coin we are plagued with the pessimistic attitude towards New Year Resolutions - “We are anyway going to break it in a week”. The majority of the population is demotivated by the lower success rates of keeping a resolution. A study by Norcross et al. (2002) found that while about 77% of people maintained their resolutions for one week, only 19% were successful after two years. This helps us understand that most resolutions lack long-term sustainability.

Another contributing factor could be overreliance on the fresh start effect. It is established that the motivation is high at the beginning of the year but this motivation would be fleeting if we do not have habits, protocols or even systems in place which help us map our progress and keep us accountable.

Lastly, we need to acknowledge the play of the ‘False Hope Syndrome’. When people set up overly optimistic resolutions, believing that achieving them will bring dramatic changes to their lives. When the initial excitement fades, the disappointment from unmet expectations leads to abandonment of the goals.

After understanding the ‘why’ of the resolutions let’s look at ‘what’ would help us? keep them. Starting the list by limiting the number of resolutions you are making for this year. Richard Wiseman, a professor of psychology at Hertfordshire University, suggests that instead of overwhelming yourself with a long list of goals it would be beneficial if we start with one or two and use all our energy on it.

Second, Disrupting your routine can be of help. For instance, A decision to join a gym often coincides with changes in daily schedules, meal planning, or social activities to incorporate the new habit. When our routines get turned upside down, like when we move to a new city or start a new job, we’re forced to adapt. This creates a natural opportunity to reevaluate how we do things and make intentional changes—kind of like hitting a reset button. Those moments of uncertainty or novelty make us more open to trying something new and sticking with it.

Lastly, remember that resolutions often carry fear of failure, social comparison and external pressure. Therefore it is important to engage in self compassion and mindfulness while you work on them. So let’s approach this year with kindness, patience, and a belief in our abilities to grow. We wish you a Happy New Year!

References

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., & Tice, D. M. (2000). Ego depletion: Is the active self a limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(5), 1252–1265. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.5.1252

Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563-2582. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901

Dey, A. (2024, December 30). Happy New Year 2025: Here are the top 10 most popular New Year resolutions. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/festivals/happy-new-year-2025-here-are-the-top-10-most-popular-new-year-resolutions-101735539981333.html

India - opinion on personal resolutions? | Statista. (2023, August 24). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041286/india-opinion-personal-resolutions/

Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(4), 397–405.https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1151

Norton, M. I., Gino, F. (2014). "Rituals alleviate grief and promote better outcomes in performance." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(1), 266–272.

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