As we bid farewell to another year, it’s time to pause and ponder! The closing of one chapter and the dawn of another isn't just a transition in time — it's a gateway to personal transformation. New Year's resolutions symbolise our desire to improve and evolve. Whether it's joining a gym, adopting a healthier lifestyle, or downloading the latest wellness app, the quest for self-improvement peaks at this time of year.
This month’s feature is all about resolutions- why we fail and how we can stick to them. For a deeper dive into sticking to resolutions, don't miss our blog post written by Abhishek Chauhan.
Will you keep a resolution for 2024? Most resolutions fail. Here’s why-
The Optimism Bias: We have a tendency to be overly optimistic about the future, leading us to set resolutions that are unrealistically high or not well-thought-out. This optimism, while positive in many ways, can lead to a significant underestimation of the challenges involved in changing long-standing habits.
Lack of Specificity and Measurability: Many resolutions fail because they are too vague. Goals like "get fit" or "save money" lack clear, measurable objectives. Without specific targets, it's difficult to gauge progress or feel a sense of achievement.
All-or-Nothing Mindset: Many individuals approach resolutions with an all-or-nothing mentality. This approach can lead to feelings of failure after the slightest deviation from the plan, causing people to abandon their resolutions entirely.
We want you to stick to your resolutions this year! Which is why we created a simple tool that will help you stick to your resolution. We have used the following insights from habit formation, behavioural science and psychology literature in designing this tool.
One Goal at a Time: It is important not to overburden yourself with too many resolutions. The quickest way to fail would be to take on too many goals and end up tiring out and giving in to whatever behaviours you’re trying to change. Have one resolution.
Specific not Vague: Resolutions are blanket statements about the kind of behaviour you would like to exhibit. Converting your resolutions into explicit and practical habits you’d like to have in your routine will help with adherence. The key here is rooting the habit into your routine.
Cue it up: Additionally, reminders will help too. These reminders can be framed in a way to act like commitment devices. The basic idea behind a cue is that it should give you the indication to kick start or stop the behaviour you’re trying to change.
Reward Yourself: Habits get enforced when there is a reward system in place. The habit change mechanism places high significance on setting rewards for adhering to the habits you want to inculcate. Keeping this in mind, the resolution tool we developed has a three tiered reward system.
Marlatt (1972) studied the phenomenon of new year’s resolutions. In particular, the paper delves in to self initiated attempts to change behaviours.
Crucial Role of Specificity: The findings emphasize the importance of specificity in framing resolutions. Suggests that precision in goal-setting may be a key factor in achieving successful behavior change.
Weight Loss Resolutions Defy Expectations: Contrary to common belief, the study found weight loss resolutions to be ineffective. Challenges conventional wisdom surrounding the effectiveness of such resolutions.
Non-Weight Resolutions Triumph: Non-weight resolutions boasted an impressive 75% success rate. Highlights a surprising success story amid the world of New Year's resolutions.
This research paper sheds light on a phenomenon that has its roots 4000 years ago in Ancient Babylonia. Humans have been trying to keep resolutions for some time now, and the findings of this papers surprise in some ways and offers wisdom as we begin to manifest our resolutions.
Keep an eye out on the Beyond Nudge social media pages (Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter) for our new series 'The Brainy Capsules' where we make BeSci principles short, sweet, and easy to digest. This time around, we explore Confirmation Bias; read our blog on Bandwagon Effect here!
📝 Advice for Aspiring Behavioural Scientists
The field of behaviour science is growing and every year there is plethora of students with degrees in the discipline hoping to take a successful plunge into the job market. It can be a tricky stream to navigate. This article in Psychology Today may help you understand your context and help in this journey.
🧑🏻🎓 Behavior Architecture - Understanding Human Behavior
This course on Coursera by Fractal Analytics, instructed by Biju Dominic, is definitely a must-see. Behaviour Change is an extremely complex and context dependent process. It helps to know uniform patterns in human behaviour to make the process less daunting.
🎧 How to become a really good Listener
A podcast about becoming a good listener is a little bit on the nose. At least that’s what we thought when we saw the title. But this podcast by Robin Kermode and Sian Hansen is a journey that really opens your ears (??). This episode of The Art of Communication is short and worth it.
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With this, comes the end of the newsletter. Happy Holidays and see you again, next year! 🎉🥂
Brought to you with 💛 from India Behavioural Economics Network (Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter) and Beyond Nudge Consulting (Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter)
Editors: Junofy Anto Rozarina and Abhishek Chauhan
Contributors: Manvi Agrawal