New Year’s Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness
Set goals to improve your well-being—not your wallet or your waistline.
TL;DR
- New Year's resolutions have historical roots in pagan traditions and are commonly made by Americans, with financial goals, healthier eating, exercise, and weight loss being popular.
- A significant majority of New Year's resolutions fail, with success rates dropping sharply by June and even lower in some surveys.
- Factors contributing to resolution success include self-liberation, rewarding oneself, avoiding temptation, and positive thinking.
- Resolution failure is associated with negative thinking, self-blame, and minimizing the importance of the goal.
- Sabotage from external sources, such as businesses or even loved ones, can hinder resolution success.
- BJ Fogg's 'Tiny Habits' method suggests reducing behaviors to small, manageable steps, finding where they fit in a routine, and celebrating practice.
- The core reason for resolution failure is that they often don't directly lead to greater happiness, and the perceived costs outweigh the benefits when encountered.
- Direct happiness resolutions, such as forgiveness and gratitude, are proposed as more effective for well-being.
- Forgiveness has been shown to increase hope and self-esteem while reducing anxiety and depression.
- The REACH mnemonic (Recall, Empathize, Altruistic gift, Commit, Hold on) is suggested for practicing forgiveness.
- Practicing gratitude has been linked to greater life satisfaction, improved physical health, and increased optimism.
- A gratitude experiment involves listing things to be grateful for and regularly reviewing and updating the list.