CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A University of Virginia psychologist has done informal polling on New Year’s resolutions finding 30% of people make them, but she doesn’t have data how many of them were successful.
UVA Health Clinical Psychologist Dr. Kim Penberthy told reporters in a conference call, “I think part of the appeal is that it is a socially-sanctioned reset time, the beginning of a new year we’ve all celebrated, and it’s sort of a natural starting time.”
She said everybody can appreciate the appeal of a fresh start, and we’re often encouraged because other people are doing the same thing.
“There often the sort of community effect of feeling we’re doing this together, and not sort of out there on our own trying to achieve these goals,” Dr. Penberthy said.
She noted resolutions can be a healthy reflection with the opportunity to reflect on one’s identity.
“So above and beyond what we want to achieve, why do we want to achieve it?”
“You know, why do we want to lose weight, eat healthier? It’s usually part of our identify,” she revealed.
“We want to be a healthier person, we want to be a more dynamic active grandparent, or something like that.”
That in mind, reflecting on why one wants to resolve something is essential, and it’s also important to make that resolution specific.
“They can be helpful in clarifying your values,” she said.
She declared often resolutions she hears are too vague, “Get healthy or be happy, I hear that one all the time.”
“So if I want to say lose weight, the much more specific version of that is I want to exercise three times a week for 20 minutes, and I want to walk for 20 minutes.”
“The more specific you make it, then the more feasible it is to actually do it,” Dr. Penberthy concluded.
While she doesn’t have the hard numbers of people who are successful, she noted the more one can increase the value, and make the goal specific, the more likelihood of achieving it.
And if the goa needs to be changed a bit, she said it’s fine.
“You can augment it or modify it over the course of time, so giving yourself that flexibility, is going to be really helpful as well.”
