There isn’t a ton of research on New Year’s Resolutions specifically and the studies that do exist leave room for interpretation. One longitudinal study on New Year’s resolutions found that 77% of people were able to maintain their resolutions for 1 week, but only 19% were able to keep them up for 2 years. Of those that were successful, the mean number of slips was 14. I think that’s particularly important to keep in mind, as it shows that success isn’t an all-or-none condition.
You may be wondering how we increase our chances of success. One way may be how you think about the goal itself. There is research to suggest that approach-oriented goal setting has significantly higher rates of success than avoidance-oriented goal setting. Approach-oriented motivation relates to moving toward a desirable result like adopting a new habit. For instance, getting good grades, reading a novel every month, or cooking more at home. Whereas avoidance-oriented motivation or goals are about avoiding an undesirable outcome or quitting something. There is research on this topic to suggest that having more avoidance-oriented goals may lead to less satisfaction with progress and lower self-esteem. I would venture to say that this isn’t the outcome you desire when you’re trying to accomplish goals.
In line with this, I really have my patients think about their values and why they are truly choosing a goal. How can they align their energies toward what they want to acquire in life versus what they want to run away from in life? A common idea that I relate to folks is that hating yourself or your life is not a prerequisite for change.
For fans of Mystic River by Dennis Lehane and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, Stephen Amidon’s Locust Lane is a taut and utterly propulsive story about the search for justice and the fault lines of power and influence in a seemingly idyllic town. Can anyone be trusted?
