Should I tell people about my New Year's resolution? | Healthy Resolutions (2024)

You bet! Research demonstrates that a public commitment is more effective than a private declaration in achieving your resolution.

A wonderful example of how a public commitment can lead to prolonged effort is found in a famous social psychological experiment conducted in the mid 1950s. Drs. Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard asked college students to estimate privately the length of lines shown to them. Then, some of the students were asked to share publicly their estimation, some were instructed to write their judgments down knowing their estimations would be erased before anyone else saw them, and still a third group was asked to keep their estimations to themselves. All of the students were then shown that their initial estimates of the line length were wrong. What happened? The students who publicly committed refused to admit they were wrong; going public had made them far more resolute and persistent.

But what if you fail? I can hear you protesting already. “What!? If I tell everyone my resolution and fail, then I’ll be embarrassed!” Going public is a double-edged sword: it increases your commitment but also ups the risk.

Don’t go public if you are not prepared; better yet, don’t jump into a resolution until you are ready. But when you are ready, it’s time to share your resolution with others. That means informing people in your life -- your friends, family members, and close work colleagues -- and putting your resolutions on display.

Going public tends to be effective, and even the economists say so: people who make their resolutions public are far more likely to fulfill them. It increases the price of failure. That price can refer to the psychic cost of failing (how badly you’ll feel about yourself), or the social-embarrassment cost of failing (how badly everyone else will make you feel). Going public also increases accountability.

When you are prepared to take on the new year with a meaningful resolution, say it loud and proud.

Should I tell people about my New Year's resolution? | Healthy Resolutions (2024)

FAQs

Are you supposed to tell people your new year's resolution? ›

Don't keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best-case scenario is to find a buddy who shares your New Year's resolution and motivate each other.

How do you answer what is your New Year resolution? ›

New year resolution ideas
  • Resolution #1: Find a new job. The most common new year resolution is to find a new job. ...
  • Resolution #2: Learn a new skill. ...
  • Resolution #3: Improve your mental health and wellbeing. ...
  • Resolution #4: Trial various approaches to work-life balance. ...
  • Resolution #5: Improve your time management.

How to talk about new year's resolutions? ›

English Phrases for New Year's Resolutions
  1. LOSE WEIGHT.
  2. GET ORGANIZED.
  3. SPEND LESS and SAVE MORE MONEY.
  4. QUIT SMOKING / DRINKING in the new year.
  5. SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY.

What are the new year's resolutions for healthy people? ›

You're never too out-of-shape, too overweight or too old to make healthy changes. Some of the most common New Year's resolutions are losing weight, getting more physical activity, eating more nutritious foods, quitting cigarettes, cutting back on alcohol, reducing stress and sleeping better.

Should you share your new year's resolutions? ›

You bet! Research demonstrates that a public commitment is more effective than a private declaration in achieving your resolution.

Why do people give up on New Year's resolutions? ›

Common resolutions include exercising more, losing weight or saving money, and Shah says that with these, people tend to go too hard, too quickly, instead of taking small steps. He explains that the number one reason people may give up is because their goals are unachievable or idealistic.

What is the #1 New Year's resolution? ›

What are the most common New Year's resolutions? According to a survey done by Statista, more than half of Americans make goals related to weight loss or eating habits each year. Another large percentage of respondents set career or financial goals.

What percentage of New Year's resolutions fail? ›

Have you been able to keep your New Year's resolution so far? If not, you are not alone. Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.

What is the best quote for a New Year resolution? ›

Inspirational New Year's quotes
  • “Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. ...
  • “This year better be amazing. ...
  • “Life is change. ...
  • “What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year.” — ...
  • “Celebrate endings–for they precede new beginnings.” — ...
  • “We will open the book.
Dec 7, 2023

What is your resolution for 2024? ›

Happy New Year 2024: 50 best resolution ideas. Get active with a daily exercise routine. Eat more fruits and veggies, and less processed food. Learn a new skill or hobby this year.

How many new year's resolutions should I make? ›

Limit resolutions to a manageable amount

We only have so much attention span we can dedicate to self-improvement, so having too many resolutions is a great way not to achieve the many goals you have set out for yourself. Thus, you should make a short list of resolutions that you can manage in the upcoming year.

Are new year's resolutions unhealthy? ›

It's not that New Year's resolutions are bad for you or unhealthy. New Year's resolutions are about making a positive change to better your health or quality of life, which is a great thing. However, people sometimes choose ambitious health goals without coming up with a plan to achieve these goals.

How to be healthier in 2024? ›

In 2024, commit to taking small steps to change your daily routines and habits to benefit your health.
  1. Eat a healthy diet. ...
  2. Be active. ...
  3. Avoid harmful use of alcohol. ...
  4. Don't use tobacco or vape. ...
  5. Look out for your sexual health. ...
  6. Connect in person to support your mental health. ...
  7. Get vaccinated. ...
  8. Take antimicrobials the right way.
Dec 19, 2023

What are the most successful new year's resolutions? ›

Most Common New Year's Resolutions

For 2024, the Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found some resolutions to be more common than others, with the most popular goals including: Improved fitness (48%) Improved finances (38%) Improved mental health (36%)

Why don t people follow through with New Year's resolutions? ›

Usually New Year's resolutions are optional things," Bly notes, “and so if we hate doing it, any goal we set is just pain and we're not really sure what the reward is going to be, we're not going to do it.” For example, if our resolution is to go to the gym three times a week but we hate going to the gym, we won't ...

Is New Year's resolution possessive? ›

New Year's resolution. The resolution belongs to the new year, so therefore a possessive apostrophe is added.

What day do most people give up on their New Year's resolution? ›

Only two weeks into the year, many people have fallen short of their New Year's goals. The second Friday in January is known as “Quitter's Day,” when people are most likely to throw in the towel on their resolutions.

Do people stick to their New Year's resolutions? ›

Despite our best intentions, most of us will give up on our new year's resolutions 17 to 18 days into 2022 according to a recent study. Whether you plan to get fitter, lose weight or become more disciplined in another way, most of us tend to run out of steam within a month.

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