3 Scientific Ways to Stick to New Year Resolutions

It’s no wonder that everyone has good intentions when it comes to the new year. With a fresh start comes a fresh set of goals and what better time to start as you mean to go on. Every year we make resolutions, but unfortunately research suggests fewer than 10% manage to keep them. So, is there a scientific way to ensure you stick to your new goals?

What are resolutions?

Resolutions are proactive ways to make changes to lifestyles, mindsets and productivity. It’s important to make sure they are realistic and achievable though. According to psychological experts there are a few proven techniques that can help individuals. The science behind habit formation and behavioural science can offer a helping hand. Whether its exercising more, saving money or giving up smoking here are three scientific ways to keep your resolutions in 2018.

1. Promotion Goals vs. Prevention Goals

According to psychology professor Tory Higgins there are two categories of resolutions – promotion and prevention goals. The former being aspirational, and the latter disciplined obligations.

However, the key to success is to set yourself prevention goals, which have higher success and positive feedback rates when it comes to personal ambitions. This is due to the potential negative consequences of not completing prevention goals. For example, if you set yourself the aim of paying your bills on time the consequence would be debt or fines. By preventing negative situations like this people are more likely to maintain rational habits and therefore form positive affirmations.

2. ‘Piggybacking’ Strategy

According to behavioural science the ‘piggybacking’ technique is said to be a successful way of trying to form a new habit. By linking your new goal to something you do regularly it is said it will reinforce the habit and therefore make it more likely to become a new part of your routine.

3. Setting Incentives

Many of us find it difficult to stick to self-enforced new regimes, such as quit smoking or regular exercise. However, studies show that by setting personal incentives such as gifts or rewards it will increase the likelihood of following through with the new resolution.

Incentives are proven to be helpful to maintain motivation. People can even use stickK – an incentivising goal setting website where you can purchase a commitment contract. Created by behavioural economists the aim is that you put financial stakes on achieving your goal publicly. It works by using ‘psychological power of loss aversion and accountability’.

So, time to make your resolutions stick. If you want to delve deeper into the world of scientific research, take a look at ‘Fast Analysis of Particle Shape and Size with Dynamic Image Analysis’.