The science of New Year’s resolutions and willpower

The science of New Year’s resolutions and willpower

Ph.D. Psychologist Lynn Bufka, in her article “Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick,” published on the American Psychological Association website, says that

“setting small, attainable goals throughout the year, instead of a singular, overwhelming goal on January 1 can help you reach whatever it is you strive for.” 

According to Forbes, there is an emerging body of research led by Stanford University psychologists on willpower and its malleability. Researchers found that people

“performed better or worse [on tests] depending on their belief in the durability of willpower.”

This is in line with what I believe: how we speak to ourselves matters.

Forbes’s article reinforces the message.

“You have as much willpower as you think you have. Your journey toward self-improvement is a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

It’s all up to us!

Statistics Of New Year’s Resolutions

Drawings by Melinda Walker – One Squiggly Line Visual Thinking