With February already upon us, how many people can honestly say they have kept to their New Year’s Resolutions? Don’t worry if you’ve eaten every piece of food on offer in the office as you’re not alone. Recently published figures by U.S. News, state: 80% of people will have abandoned their resolutions within the first six weeks. In our final news story, we take a look at the psychology behind why as a nation, we are so bad at sticking to new goals.
When you look at New Year’s resolutions, a large proportion of them are often health-related;
- I will go to the gym,
- eat better,
- stop smoking,
- only drink on a Saturday night
Or are related to improving your financial status, often debt related. If we think about it logically, we decide to make improvements in what can feel like one of the longest months of the year, full on festive food and low on money after spending too much on that ‘special someone’. Add to that an early payday in December and the next six weeks can seem a bit dim.
Without being all doom and gloom, it is possible to stick to your New Year’s resolutions. According to a recent study by Cornell University and the University of Chicago, researchers found that the enjoyment factor was the only thing that mattered if people could see immediate rewards from their new habit they would be more likely to stick to them. So, the moral of the story is to pick a resolution that you will get enjoyment from and not feel like you are depriving yourself.
Dr Jessamy Hibberd, a clinical psychologist, believes the key to keeping our resolutions is self-compassion. “The biggest obstacle to new habits is self-criticism. Study after study highlights this is correlated with less motivation and worse self-control, in contrast with being kind or supportive to yourself, as you would be to a friend.”
In addition, author of ‘Better than Before’, Gretchen Rubin suggests we need to avoid listening to the excuses which make our habits falter, such as the false choice loophole. “I can’t go on a run tomorrow because I have to do X. The thing about loopholes is that once you realise you’re doing it, you’re much more likely to resist.”
Starting the year off with multiple things to achieve can become overwhelming. So why not start this month working towards a resolution that you will actually enjoy trying to achieve?