New year, new you? The science of reaching goals
It’s that time of year again. January is supposed to provide a mental fresh start for many people with one or more New Year’s resolutions. This means setting goals. One of the most popular is to improve health or fitness, and that’s why January and February are the busiest times at gyms. But research isn’t on our side when it comes to getting fit. A study showed that we’re “paying not to go to the gym”. Only 22 % of members attended a health and fitness site after a year.
Falling off the wagon
In fact, research on New Year’s resolutions over the years is very discouraging. Most studies reveal that about 8 % of those who make resolutions stick to them. “An extraordinary and collective phenomenon in psychology occurs every year at this time. Most of you will be familiar with, and have likely experienced, making a New Year’s resolution. These behavioural contracts may be informal off-the-cuff statements made at a New Year’s Eve gathering, to more carefully considered, private promises made to oneself. Typically, they involve a deliberate intention to improve one’s health or fitness through behaviour change,” explained Stephen Shannon, lecturer in social and psychological sciences of sport at Ulster University in the United Kingdom, in an RTÉ news item. Small, achievable goals broken down into plain step-by-step processes can keep us from frustration and failure. “Of course, there are some of us who achieve radical and almost immediate change in behaviour and health, but unfortunately, the research indicates these are rarities,” added Shannon. “If you are someone who has historically struggled with physical activity motivation, it’s generally not a good idea to begin January with a radical new routine, such as daily 6am gym sessions combined with a 5km run in the evening. Doing this is likely to undermine your short and long-term motivation. When you’re making your New Year’s resolution, take small steps. Perhaps begin with a walk?”
When the goal goes public
There’s another school of thought that says sharing goals won’t necessarily help keep us accountable. We’re better off keeping them to ourselves if we want to succeed, showed another study. Just telling others about a goal may give a false sense of accomplishment, making someone less likely to follow through. The approval of family, friends or colleagues provides a comparable satisfaction to actually reaching the goal. Sharing can lead to responses and reactions from them that trigger reward systems in our brain. As a result, motivation goes down. Yet another study revealed that people exhibited greater commitment and performance when they told their goal to someone they believed had higher status than themselves. In other words, if you have to share, do so wisely. Who you share the goal with plays a key role. So is there a clear answer? It depends on the goal you’re trying to achieve, and to a large extent your personality. Whatever the decision, make it strategic.
Keywords
New Year’s resolution, resolution, goal, health, fitness, behaviour, motivation