The psychology of Territorians’ New Year resolutions

After weeks of binge eating and enthusiastic drinking, many Territorians are now wrestling with the sober activity of New Year resolutions, according to a Darwin psychologist.
Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Charles Darwin University, Dr Mary Morris said New Year resolutions were a puzzling ritual from a psychological perspective.
Dr Morris said of greatest interest was what determined the goals that were set, how many goals people set themselves at one time and how successful they were at achieving these goals.
“Why do we pick a single point in time each year to try and change certain things in our life — behaviours, attitudes, whatever — make resolutions about them, and then proceed to fail at them within a month’s time?” she said.
Some of the more popular New Year goals Territorians set include starting an exercise regime, eating better, reducing their consumption of alcohol and caffeine, and the most popular of all, quitting smoking.
“Research suggests that people who believe that self-control is something dynamic, changing and unlimited, and would therefore make claims such as - ‘I can stop smoking, all I have to do is put my mind to it’ - tend to set more resolutions and are generally more successful at achieving their goals,” Dr Morris said.
“In contrast, people who believe that we all are born with a limited, set amount of self-control, that we cannot change and who also have little belief in their own capabilities to carry out their own goals naturally do worse in achieving their New Year’s resolution goals.
“Yet these people still make resolutions knowing they have absolutely no chance of achieving them.”
Dr Morris said another major contributing factor determining success or failure was the actual skills a person possesses to make the changes proposed for the New Year.
“While it’s all well and good to say you want to quit smoking or eat healthy foods, one of the determining factors in achieving success is whether you really know how to actually do it,” she said.
“Researching the most effective methods for achieving change ahead of time predicts better success in actually achieving goals. And, of course, being ready to change also helps.
“If you don’t want to change and so only make a half-hearted resolution to do so, don’t be surprised by your amazing lack of success.”
Dr Morris’ tips for New Year resolution success:
• Have a strong initial commitment to make a change • Identify what method will work for you• Engage the support of family and friends• Have coping strategies to deal with problems that will come up • Keep track of your progress. The more monitoring you do and feedback you get, the better you will do.