In a surprising twist for self-improvement, psychologists have uncovered a counterintuitive mental strategy that could be the key to finally sticking to your New Year's resolutions. The research, published on Wednesday 31 December 2025, flips conventional wisdom on its head, suggesting that embracing doubt about your doubts may be more effective than blind optimism.
The 'Doubt-Plus-Doubt' Formula for Confidence
Conventional studies have long indicated that uncertainty about long-term aims, like annual resolutions, can undermine commitment and lead to failure. However, the latest findings challenge this view head-on. Led by Professor Patrick Carroll from The University of Ohio, the study published in the journal Self and Identity proposes a novel approach. "What this study found is that inducing doubts in one's doubts can provide a formula for confidence," Dr Carroll explained.
The research focused on 'identity goals'—objectives centred on the kind of person an individual wants to become. Professor Carroll investigated what occurs when people experience a 'crisis-doubt', a moment of intense uncertainty about whether to continue pursuing such a significant aim.
How the Experiments Unfolded
In one experiment involving 267 participants, individuals disclosed their level of crisis-doubt regarding their most important personal goal. They rated statements like "I doubt whether I should continue striving for my goal or disengage from it" on a scale from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree".
A second, unrelated experiment then split participants into two groups. One half was tasked with writing about a time they felt confident in their thinking, while the other half wrote about an experience of doubt. Subsequently, all were asked to rate their commitment to their primary goal from "not at all committed" to "very committed".
Intriguingly, the simple writing exercise influenced people's confidence or doubt about their goals, even though the topics were not directly related.
The Counterintuitive Result for Commitment
The results revealed a paradoxical pattern. Participants who already felt doubtful about their goal and then wrote about a confident experience showed lower commitment levels. Conversely, those who felt doubtful and then wrote about an experience of doubt demonstrated significantly higher commitment to achieving their aims.
This suggests that directly engaging with and questioning one's own uncertainties can fortify resolve, rather than weaken it. "On some level, it may seem that doubt would be additive. Doubt plus doubt would equal more doubt. But this study found the opposite: Doubt plus doubt equalled less doubt," Dr Carroll concluded.
For anyone setting goals for 2026, this research offers a powerful, if unexpected, tool. Instead of trying to suppress moments of uncertainty, psychologically examining and challenging those doubts could be the very mechanism that builds lasting commitment and turns resolutions into reality.
