Each new year has its share of good resolutions. Sometimes difficult to hold! Researchers explain the mechanisms involved.
- Not sticking to resolutions is the result of a conflict between our “planning self” and our “doing self”.
- In a study of 240 people, those who keep or break their resolutions are tied
Remember, it was just a month ago: at the time of the transition to the new year, you swore to yourself that this time would be the right one, that you would take care of a balanced diet, no longer do overeating, exercising daily… and many other good resolutions. First assessment after a month? Some of you will have already, if not abandoned this beautiful program, in any case accepted to make some snags! But where does this difficulty come from in respecting a commitment that should help us stay in good health? Science has an answer: the conflict between your planning “self” (self-control) and your doer “self” (spontaneous response to temptations). But how can one take precedence over the other? Researchers from English and German universities have just published a study in the journal Behavioral Public Policy in which they analyze how the balance between these two attitudes is managed..
They asked 240 participants to underline a significant event in their life, either the satisfaction of having yielded to a temptation, or on the contrary that of having known how to resist. And they then asked them about how they recognized themselves or not in statements illustrating the desire for self-control, the lack of self-control or the need for self-control as a life strategy.
Those who keep their resolutions and those who don’t are equal
Result, an equal number of participants expressed the wish to have less self-control, the regret of having had too much self-control at the expense of pleasure and the acceptance of having yielded to temptation. In other words, those who keep their good resolutions, those who forget them and those who allow themselves a few hiccups are tied! “This underscores the importance of treating desires for spontaneity as deserving as much attention as desires for self-control.the study authors explain, noting that most participants argued both that it was important to make long-term plans and to stick to them, but that there was no harm to take small pleasures from time to time rather than sticking to these plans!
The lesson that scientists draw from their work is in fact that when society tends to push everyone towards the respect of healthy lifestyles, it is based on a priority that would be given to the “self” planner. And that would be an excess of optimism! “For nudges towards healthier behaviors to have an effect, the people to whom they are addressed must still recognize that they have problems of self-control and wish to be helped… But our results suggest that many may often not want this!”conclude the authors.
So, if you’ve already broken some of your New Year’s resolutions, don’t feel guilty: you’re just a “normal” person!
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