This Is How Many People Actually Stick to Their New Year’s Resolutions

Ashley Moor
Self-improvement is a long-term commitment, and despite what you might be pushed to believe this season, it doesn’t always start with a New Year’s resolution. In fact, the one resolution you might want to make is to stop lying to yourself about the need for one. The promises and pledges we make to ourselves in January are often unrealistic, and there are certain resolutions that always fail. If you want to change your ways, you can do so at any time. (© Provided by Eat This, Not That!)

No matter how hard you may try to stick to your New Year’s resolutions in 2019, there will undoubtedly come a time when your willpower is tested—but whether that means giving up those resolutions for good is up to you, according to experts.

According to data pulled from Google by iQuanti, the most common resolutions made in the New Year are usually centered around getting healthy or simply living life to its fullest. However, despite your best efforts to usher in a new era of health, fitness, and overall wellbeing into your life, research shows that even the most initially steadfast resolution adherents are likely to lose steam in their pursuit of personal betterment.

While 77 percent of people who committed to a New Year’s resolution stuck to it for at least a week, research conducted by the University of Scranton reveals that only eight percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions will actually fulfill those goals in a timely fashion—if ever. So, when does willpower stop being enough? Research from Athletic social networking site Strava reveals that January 12th is the most common day for the formerly resolute to start waving that white flag.

But why do so many people ditch their resolutions after such a short period of time?

As Chris Berdik, a science journalist and the author of Mind Over Mind explains, it’s because people typically set long lists of large, unattainable goals for themselves, rather than small, easy ones—the kind you might actually be able to stick to. “My earlier laundry lists made [my resolutions] easier to abandon,” he says of his own ditched attempts at self-improvement.

In short: the more realistic you make your resolutions for 2019, the more likely you are to achieve them.

More than anything, to truly ensure that 2019 is your year of self-improvement, registered dietician and nutritionist Vanessa Rissetto recommends practicing patience—both with yourself and the goal you’re trying to achieve. “If you gained 12 pounds over the holiday season, why do you think you can lose it in a week if it took basically 12 weeks to gain?” asks Rissetto. “If people just didn’t give up and trusted the process they would fare better. No quick fixes—just hard work on the road to success.”

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