It’s December 31, a time for many to make resolutions for the New Year. While some promise to stop smoking others want to lose weight or exercise more. No matter what the resolution, everyone can use a little extra help in meeting their goals. Findings from research by John Norcross and his colleagues may help you make and keep your resolutions this year.

In their study, researchers conducted a brief phone interview with 434 adults asking about their plans to make a New Year’s resolution that coming year. Of the people they contacted, about 41% were making a resolution, and 59% were not. Participants described their resolutions if they had them. Those not planning to make a resolution responded to an alternate question, “If you were to make a resolution to change one of your behaviors, what would that behavior be?” Participants were reassessed at 1-2 weeks, 3-4 weeks, 3 months, and then 6 months, and asked about their outcomes.

Two major findings came from this study. First, people making resolutions were more likely to be successful in changing their behavior than people who did not make a resolution. In fact 46% of people reported being successful in keeping their primary resolution up to 6 months later, compared to 4% of non-resolvers.

The other major finding was the difference between people who were successful in achieving their resolutions and those who were unsuccessful. In general, those who were successful in achieving their goals were more confident in their ability to change and in their ability to maintain that change. In addition, they also felt prepared to make a change. Success was not predicted by desire to change, skill sets, or support from others.

People who were successful in keeping their resolutions used various strategies, including keeping things around to help remind them not to give into a problem, avoiding situations that might be problematic, and using willpower control their behaviors. Successful people were also less likely to ruminate about how bad problem behaviors were.

Because participants in this study were being evaluated on their resolutions, there may have been additional incentive for participants to be successful or report success in achieving their goals. Nevertheless, making resolutions may be one positive step in making a desired change. And when paired with the knowledge that you can be successful and are ready to change, resolutions may be especially helpful in achieving your goals.

To all of our readers, we hope you have a happy new year and we wish you great success in accomplishing all of your goals.

Further Reading:

Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld lang syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 397-405.