New research reveals that only 8% of people who set New Year’s resolutions manage to keep them, according to a study from the University of Scranton compiled by Statistic Brain. The findings suggest that the tradition may be fundamentally flawed, with experts pointing to unrealistic goals and procrastination as key reasons for failure.
Timothy Pychyl, associate professor of psychology at Carleton University, notes that resolutions often have “failure and procrastination built into them.” He explains that delaying the start of a goal until 1 January serves as a form of “culturally-prescribed procrastination,” where people feel good about announcing their intentions but struggle to follow through.
Psychotherapist Rachel Weinstein, co-director of the Adulting School in Portland, Maine, says the problem is exacerbated by setting unrealistic goals under the false assumption that one can become a “completely different person” in the new year. She advocates for small, incremental changes over time.
Joseph Luciani, a psychologist specialising in self-coaching, warns that repeated failure to keep resolutions can leave individuals feeling discouraged, making it harder to set new goals later in the year. He describes holiday intentions as “hollow intentions” that often lead to a sense of failure.
Experts suggest starting goals as soon as possible rather than waiting for 1 January, and caution against announcing resolutions too early, as this can provide a premature sense of reward. Setting easily achievable goals that can be scaled up over time is recommended for better success.
