A research study conducted by professor & chair of Psychology at the University of Scranton, John C. Norcross from 1978-2020 states the following about New Year’s resolutions.
After one week, 75% are still successful.
After two weeks, the number drops to 71%.
After one month, the number drops again to 64%.
After six months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still keeping it.
Comparatively, only 8% of those with similar goals but no set resolution are still successful after six months.
So, then why are people still falling into the “New Year, new me” mindset in 2024?
I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer. What I can say is that when it comes to the New Year, people often get the wrong idea when they hear those words.
It’s not so much the nature of the saying, but the value that lies in the words. “New” just doesn’t resonate with what the New Year should be. This phrase represents discarding your past self at the expense of building a completely different version of yourself.
And that expression just isn’t attainable. There’s no point in creating New Year’s resolutions if you’re just going to ditch all the progress you’ve made thus far.
That’s like saying you’re going to start a new hobby and just forget about all of the ones you already have; it doesn’t make sense. This is why I think people find it so hard to stick to their resolutions: because they feel accustomed to having this sort of mindset.
However, I’m not the only one that feels this way. According to an article by Essence titled “The Psychology Behind ‘New Year, New Me,’” around half of Americans set goals at the start of every year. This is because as humans, we naturally fall into “the fresh start effect” in hopes of creating a clean slate for ourselves.
Additionally, the article delves more into the questions people should ask themselves when setting resolutions as well as ways they can make these goals more personalized to their lifestyle.
For example, one of the methods Essence mentions is how to utilize the S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) acronym to set more realistic intentions.
Although everyone may have their techniques for setting goals, this method is a unique approach to the New Year and one I don’t think many people use to their advantage. It doesn’t force you into the “New Year, new me” mindset but also encourages you to think about why you’re setting the goals that you are.
In asking yourself these questions, you create goals that are more applicable to what you want to align with in the future and, therefore, avoid falling into the trap of trying to create a “new” version of yourself. It’s both an effective and timely method for being able to get what you want out of life without feeling guilty for moving at your own pace.
So the next time you catch yourself falling into the “New Year, new me” mindset, remember to ask yourself what those words signify to you.
