DISSECTING THE ELUSIVE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION, AND HOW TO CONQUER THE ODDS

BY LUDA CONTI, OWNER OF AVANTI DAY RESORT

The practice of setting a personal goal at the turn of a new year is an ancient one. According to history.com, such resolutions have origins dating back at least 4,000 years to the Babylonian civilization. Its calendar turn happened in what would be our midMarch, when crops were planted. The associated festival lasted 12 days, and during this time each citizen proclaimed his and her intentions for the coming year. If resolutions were kept, good standing with the gods would be maintained.

Such vows, as laudable as they may be, have an infamous failure rate, of course. A 2017 study by the fitness focused social network, Strava, followed more than 30 million people to determine when most reported giving up on new year goals. That day was January 12th. The university of Stranton conducted a similar series of studies to quantify the outcome of resolutions, and its research proved to be nearly as grim that only eight percent of people who set such goals kept them until the Times Square ball dropped once again. The Statistic Brain Research Institute, meanwhile, has found that 45% of Americans claim they regularly make New Year’s resolutions, the most popular (53% in 2018) to save more money. That same source, and in that same year, found that 45% of Americans resolved to lose weight. The most popular resolution of all time is to quit smoking, though that number has decreased over the past five years, happily.

In what is at least partly an antidote to these deflating stats, the European graduate business school, INSEAD, found that one solution is not to give up on resolutions altogether, even when they are breached. The problem, it found, doesn’t lie in setting goals; it’s that they are typically either too small or too large. When setting resolutions, many people insist on a major life change that will go into effect as soon as the clock strikes midnight, then either give up before they start and/or don’t bother making additional goals. INSTEAD researchers found that setting modest benchmarks pushes the seeking of incremental improvement rather than sweeping change. In other words, upon reaching a smallish scale goal, one feels fueled to set another. And science broadly shows that even modest objectives like taking up a hobby can have a considerable positive impact on mental health.

Extra pro tip: Susannah Conway, author of This I Know: Notes On Unraveling The Heart (Skirt!, 2012), recommends picking a word to guide your new year. This practice is designed to shape days rather than give them structured limitations and therefore, there is essentially no failure!

And if, by chance, your 2020 self promise includes a dose of self care and indulgence, a package worth considering at Avanti Day Resort is the four and a half hour “Enchantment.” It includes a 30 minute Swedish massage, an Avanti Facial, manicure, pedicure, style and finish…plus lunch, and a spa gift. Talk about starting things right!

Avanti Day Resort
345 U.S. 9, Manalapan Township
732.780.0222 / avantidayresort.com