Should the New Year be used as a time for self-criticism to make impossible-to-keep new year’s resolutions? Or, should we use it as a time to reflect on and be grateful for the previous year? You may have seen Alice Mainwood’s article ‘No more pledges of impossible self-improvement, please! Let’s not resolve to be better in 2023’. Inspired by this, I want to take a deeper look at the psychology behind how reflection on the previous year can actually inspire us to make New Year’s Resolutions and how we can carry forward an optimistic attitude, rather than one of self-criticism, whilst still making and achieving our goals.

The first step to remaining optimistic in the New Year is making sure to frame any resolutions or goals that you make in a positive way. Resolutions should not be about breaking bad habits but instead focusing on establishing new and better behaviours. Approach-oriented goals, which are goals focused on having a positive outcome, are therefore very effective and have higher rates of success than avoidance-oriented goals, which are goals focused on avoiding negative outcomes.

“Any goals you make do not have to be drastic enough to completely reinvent yourself or live by the phrase “new year, new me!””

A study by Oscarsson et al (2020) found that resolutions based on approach-oriented goals were 60% successful after a one-year follow-up compared to avoidance oriented goals which were only 47% successful after the same length of time. The fact that 60% of positive, approach-oriented goals were still successful one year after the initial goal was made shows how sustainable this method of goal-setting can be.

But why do we feel the need to make New Year’s Resolutions in the first place? This can be put down to a phenomenon known as the “fresh start effect”. The fresh start effect suggests that the new year acts as a temporal landmark in our brains, something that marks the passage of time the same way that a physical landmark would mark a distance on a journey. They help our brains to separate events into ‘before’ and ‘after’, leaving past imperfections behind us and increasing aspirational thinking. This explains why it is natural for us to take time to reflect on our lives at the new year, and why this then inspires us to set new goals to better ourselves.

The fresh-start effect isn’t exclusive to the New Year. Other temporal landmarks can result in the same increases in aspirational behaviour, such as the start of the new Lent term. Even within the upcoming term, smaller landmarks such as the start of the week or month may prompt some reflection and motivate you to make new goals moving forward.

It is important to remember that any goals you make do not have to be drastic enough to completely reinvent yourself or live by the phrase “new year, new me!”, but can instead mean making small changes that have a big impact on your life. Having big, ambitious resolutions will almost certainly end in failure and could demotivate you for the future which is why it is key to set goals that are specific and realistic, even if this means breaking down big, long-term goals into smaller, more manageable ones.

“Reflection should not be self-critical”

Once you have established your goals, it is worthwhile to share them with others around you. Discussing your goals with friends not only increases your excitement and motivation towards reaching your goals but actually improves your chances of success. A study by Matthews (2015) showed that over 70% of people who updated their friends on the status of their goals every week were successful in achieving their goals, compared to just 35% of participants who kept their goals to themselves.

Working with others can be particularly useful to help stop procrastination when studying. In a study by Koppenborg and Klingsieck (2022), it was found that group work decreases academic procrastination amongst students, especially for those with the highest procrastination rates. So if, when reflecting on previous terms, you have realised that you spent a lot of time delaying completing your work, maybe try collaborating with others more often.

Returning to Alice’s article, should we be using New Years or the start of the Lent term to engage in the often self-critical act of resolution making? Well, the psychological evidence suggests that we are motivated towards reflection at temporal landmarks in the calendar – including those throughout the Cambridge term. But, it’s important to remember that reflection should not be self-critical. Focus on setting positive, approachable and targeted resolutions. Even, let your friends in college or back at home know! So, no more pledges of impossible self-improvement but instead positive, achievable goals aimed at helping us have an amazing 2023.