Ah, hello 2026.
A new year often carries with it an invitation to pause, self-reflect and to imagine something better. Although they are often mocked (for not being followed through with), a healthy percentage of Americans still embrace new year’s resolutions.
At their most elemental level, resolutions force us to take an honest inventory of our lives, and to look at what is working and what is not. They cause us to admit, if only to ourselves, that change is possible. One survey conducted by Forbes Health/One Poll found that around 40% of all U.S. adults set resolutions each year, while 59% of those aged 18-34 set them.
In an article in Scientific American on the topic, behavioral scientist Katy Milkman put forth the notion that several dates, not just New Year’s Day, are associated with beginnings and the spurring of positive behavioral changes. These dates include birthdays, the beginning of each new month or religious holidays such as Easter and Rosh Hashannah.
“In our research we’ve looked at when people show up and attend the gym; when people search for the term ‘diet’ on Google, which is the most popular New Year’s resolution, for better or for worse; and also, we see it when we look at when people set goals on a popular goal-setting website online about everything from their health to their finances and the environment,” Milkman said.
One common goal of many is to save money. In a survey conducted in 2024 by Statista, it was found that financial goals are a top aim of most Americans who make resolutions at the beginning of a new year.
The poll found that one in four American adults aspires to reduce the amount of money they spend in the coming year on living expenses, such as food and energy. Another poll, conducted by Forbes, found that fitness was chief in the minds of respondents, with 48% of them making improved fitness a chief goal over 38% who replied that they wish to improve their financial situations.
Of those who were polled, the findings revealed that, overall, 80% were confident in their ability to reach their goals, while six percent lack that confidence.
One recent peer-reviewed study that involved a large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions found that participants with approach-oriented goals were significantly more successful with following through than those who undertook avoidance-oriented goals (58.9% vs. 47.1%).
Milkman said that planning for disruptions in the routines that resolutions create is key to keeping things going.
“If you’re going away for the holidays and you’re in a routine that’s working for you, whether it’s around meditation or exercise or, you know practicing Spanish on Duolingo…when you’re away it breaks those routines,” she said.
“It’s no longer going to be automatic to engage in the same sets of routines when you come back, and so you need to be deliberate about planning.”
Milkman suggests making explicit plans and putting them on a calendar to set a reminder for oneself.
Scientists have proven that the beginning of something new triggers the response of dopamine, which is the neuro-hormone controlling the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, as well as regulating emotional responses.
Although, initially, dopamine levels might be high in starting a goal, they eventually drop.
Resolutions can serve as markers of growth, but even when one fails to keep them going, the process can, in of itself, be instructive.
An unmet/unfulfilled resolution is not a proof of weakness, but evidence of learning, and helps to reveal where our expectations might have been unrealistic and where our habits are deeply rooted. These are lessons that can shape us into more self-aware people.
Whether it’s losing weight or saving money, or becoming kinder and more engaged and present, new beginnings signal a psychological reset, and the shared, collective reflection of millions who are committing to some type of self-improvement helps lend power to personal resolve. There is strength in numbers, as the ages-old maxim states.
Twenty-twenty six is still predominantly unchartered territory, so whether one has made a resolution or not, the time is now to keep reaching forward, and that, in of itself, is worth celebrating.
