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Why Do We Make Resolutions?

New Year’s Resolutions are a tradition. There is a psychological effect of setting goals for this time of year. Throughout December we are likely spending money on gifts, eating large holiday meals, attending family gatherings and drinking. It’s a perfect time to look at ourselves and our habits in the recent year and ask ourselves, “How can I do better next year?”

Another reason we make them is simply because it feels good to set a goal. The process of setting a goal, actively pursuing it and finally achieving it all trigger that sweet dopamine in our brain. 

Many of us have likely heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If you have not, think of it like the food pyramid but for our brains. At the base is our basic needs; food, water, shelter. And towards the top are feelings of accomplishment and self-actualization. We’re biologically inclined to want things.

But how many of us actually stick to our resolutions anymore? 53% of adults surveyed by Forbes in 2023 stated their resolutions failed in 3 months or less, and only 6% stated they were still sticking to them after 12 months. With all the previously stated incentives to make resolutions, one might think the number of people who stuck with their resolutions would be higher. So, what’s going on?

Stormy Glenn, a student working on campus says she’s sticking to her resolutions quite well this year. When asked about any struggles she’s faced in doing them she had this to say.

“After Christmas you’re so worn down, and then you’re putting all these new things on yourself. The weather is never cooperating… Some people get the wintertime blues anyway so if your goal is to workout, you’re probably not going to want to leave to do that.” 

Why Do We Fail?

Many times, people will set a goal without thinking of the reasons they are stuck where they are right now. Someone may want to lose 20lbs in the new year and spend time in the gym but may not make the dietary changes at home to support that goal. Then when the results aren’t what they want, they give up. 

Another common goal may be to save more money. Which is good, but its not very specific. Being mindful of spending habits like coffee runs or eating out can help you meet this goal, but forgetting to look back at your recurring expenses such as subscription fees can leave one feeling unaccomplished. 

So all we have to do is make a clear cut goal and everything will be fine, right? Unfortunately, that’s not how it works either. Another common reason for failure is that our resolutions are too specific. Setting a weight loss goal of 20lbs can seem helpful at first, but it’s not a goal that can be instantly measured. How do you motivate yourself during the early days of the process if the pounds don’t stop dropping for a couple weeks? Perhaps a better goal would be to just go to the gym a few days a week and go from there. This is something we can easily measure ourselves throughout the journey. “Did I make it to the gym today?” is a lot easier to answer than “Did I do enough today to make sure I can lose 20lbs this year?”

Corinna King, an undergraduate student working on campus believes we put too much pressure on ourselves. 

“When you really try to set a resolution and go into it too strong maybe you get discouraged and that’s not the point… Celebrate the small wins… Whenever I run, I don’t think about the mile, or the end of it. I think if I’m here, think about getting to the student center. And once I make it to the student center, I have to get to the next place. So when you’re thinking about a resolution or a goal start out small and build off that,” King said.

By tying our goals to daily habits instead of a magic number to achieve, we make it much easier to make our resolutions apart of our daily lives. Eventually it will become something we do without even thinking about it!

Another reason we fail is that we forget the potential obstacles to face in pursuit of our goal. It’s easy to make it to gym while you’re riding high during the first week. But what happens if you get sick? Or have a few nights of rough sleep? Most people will start by skipping a day at the gym because “it is just one day.” But this disrupts our plan and makes it easier to skip more days until you realize you haven’t been in over a week, and that’s where many people will give up. 

Solutions

So how do we avoid failure? Plan for the barriers of your success and how you will deal with them. If your plan is to go to the gym every morning, perhaps go at night one day out of the week. This will prepare you in the event you are not able to go one morning. 

How do we ensure success for ourselves in the new year? Firstly, make a goal that can be easily measured. Both throughout the process and at the end. Something you can look back on every day and say “I did it. Go me!” or “I didn’t do it today. But I’m still doing well.” Giving yourself benchmarks you can meet along the way to your goal allows you to track your progress and keep the motivation fresh. 

Secondly, prepare for failure. Or at least plan for interruptions. It’s not all going to go the way you want it to go. There will be times where you mess up, but as long as you’re ready for them you’ll be able to handle any obstacle with a clear head. 

In Corinna and Stormy’s words, 

“Give yourself grace… Set goals, but maybe don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

 “If you miss something its not an end all be all, it doesn’t mean that you’re done… If you miss a week its not like you totally failed yourself, you can keep going.”