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External Partners Alumni Search Submit Return to home Search Search About About Olin Home Why Olin Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership & Strategy News & Media Events Contact Us Programs Programs Home Explore Our Programs BS in Business Administration MBAs Specialized Master's Doctoral Executive Education Dual Degrees Faculty & Research Faculty & Research Home Faculty Directory Research Research Centers Olin Brookings Commission Olin Award Student Resources Student Resources Home Career Services Center for Experiential Learning Entrepreneurship Academic Calendars Student Organizations For Current Students For Military Veterans Admissions Admissions Home Scholarships & Aid Attend Program Events Visit Olin Ask a Student Student Profiles Request Information Refer a Candidate External Partners Alumni Research: Why New Year’s resolutions fail—even though people know how they can succeed December 9, 2022 By Jill Young Miller 2 minute read Home News Research: Why New Year’s resolutions fail—even though people know how they can succeed More than 35% of Americans make a New Year&＃8217;s resolution, like losing weight, eating healthier or saving more money. Scott Let&＃8217;s say you resolve to get more exercise. If you&＃8217;re like a lot of people, you commit to your goal&＃8212;but leave your plan for how to accomplish it flexible; you decide day-to-day whether to go the gym and what you&＃8217;ll do once you&＃8217;re there. In January, you skip the gym a few times. In February, you just might abandon your plan completely. &＃8220;Setting yourself up for success and sticking to a goal is hard,&＃8221; says&＃160;Sydney E. Scott, assistant professor of marketing at Olin Business School. &＃8220;But is the issue your willpower, or your plan?&＃8221; Now imagine a friend has the same resolution. &＃8220;If you&＃8217;re like many people, you might advise your friend not to be flexible, but instead to determine the details of their plan in advance,&＃8221; Scott says. That would be good advice. Follow your head Adding detail and structure to a plan helps people achieve their goals. So why choose a more detailed&＃8212;and more effective&＃8212;plan for your friend, but not for yourself? Williams New research from Scott and&＃160;Elanor F. Williams, associate professor of marketing at Olin, shows that people opt for flexibility in their own plans because they think flexibility is more appealing. &＃8220;People like the idea of having some wiggle room in their plans,&＃8221; Williams says. &＃8220;But their recommendations to others reveal that they do know that it&＃8217;s less effective to be flexible than to have a more structured plan.&＃8221; Why do they choose a plan that&＃8217;s less likely to work? &＃8220;People follow their hearts more when choosing for themselves than for other people,&＃8221; Scott says. &＃8220;In other words, people give very good advice to others for how to plan for success but fail to follow that same advice for themselves.&＃8221; The paper &＃8220;In goal pursuit, I think flexibility is the best choice for me but not for you,&＃8221;&＃160;in the&＃160;Journal of Marketing Research, also suggests some options to make people more likely to add structure and detail to their own plans. &＃8220;Telling people to follow their heads as they decide, or highlighting that structure is a way to stay on track, encourages them to choose more structured plans for themselves, too,&＃8221; Scott says. About the Author Jill Young Miller As research translator for WashU Olin Business School, my job is to highlight professors’ research by “translating” their work into stories. Before coming to Olin, I was a communications specialist at WashU’s Brown School. My background is mostly in newspapers including as a journalist for Missouri Lawyers Media, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post and the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida. Contact Us For assistance in finding faculty experts, please contact Washington University Public Affairs. Monday&＃8211;Friday, 8:30 to 5 p.m. Sara Savat, Senior News Director, Business and Social [email protected] &＃160; Kurt Greenbaum,Communications [email protected] Twitter: WUSTLnews Share article Apply Now Visit Us Request Info One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 [email protected] 314-935-7301 News & Media Events Faculty Directory WashU Center for Career Engagement Washington University home Olin Links Sitemap Privacy Policies Title IX Accessibility ©2024 Washington University in St. Louis