New Year, New Me?
With the turn of the New Year comes the inevitable generation of New Year’s resolutions. The history of these infamous objectives dates back over 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. Resolutions began in the sacred context as promises to the gods, and later as a reflection on past mistakes and resolving to do better. It was not until the 19th century that the making of resolutions took a secular turn, focusing more on self-improvement goals like exercise, diet, or saving money.
I can hear those of you scoffing at the idea of an article about New Year’s resolutions, but before you call it quits and exit this page, let me have your attention for just a little bit longer. I hope and believe you can find value in this month’s Newsletter whether you do or do not tend to participate in New Year’s Resolutions.
According to Forbes, in 2024, the most popular goals for the new year were improved fitness, improved finances, improved mental health, losing weight, and improved diet. These are important objectives, and I do not want to discourage anybody from setting these goals. As a medical student, I have continuously learned the importance of exercise, diet, weight management, and mental health. But as a follower of God, I believe we can bring some sacred context back into our New Year’s resolutions while maintaining some of the secular components that have become prevalent in popular culture.
Before we move on, let us make sure that we have our priorities set. God gives us the strength to achieve what we set our minds to as we have learned in Philippians 4:13. Do not forget where your empowerment comes from. Without God, our lives lack purpose and direction; we descend into chaos, becoming easily swayed by the sin and temptations of this world.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
— John 8:12
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
— Psalm 121:2
Why is it so difficult to maintain New Year’s resolutions?
Some people find immediate success and can stick to these objectives and make habits of them. But for most of us, the demands of life catch up with us and we find ourselves going back to what we know and what is comfortable. According to Forbes, only 6% of people who set a New Year’s resolution stick to it beyond the year. A large portion do not make it past the first week and the rest don’t tend to make it past the first month.
Is there a certain comfort that we find in what we know and are used to? Is there some sort of inherent resistance to change?
We all know of habits that we have, whether good or bad. Your morning coffee routine. Brushing your teeth at night. Your daily drive to and from work. How do these form and why do we not have to actively think about them anymore?
I did the research on habit-breaking and formation, so you don’t have to. Let’s talk about the neuroscience and psychology of habits.
Habits are defined as behaviors triggered by contextual stimuli, developed through frequent repetition, and often persisting regardless of current beliefs and goals. The most accepted framework for habit formation is called the Dual System. This is broken down into two components, stimulus-directed control and goal-directed control. As it sounds, stimulus-directed control is regulated by stimuli that you receive both from the world around you and from within you. These stimuli act as context and cues to trigger your habitual tendencies. For example, imagine that you are driving home the way that you do every day. You are receiving input from the environment that is familiar to you, familiar trees, roads, houses, etc. That kicks your stimulus-directed control into action, and you find your way home without much active thought.
On the other hand, you have goal-directed control. This is based on conscious decisions, objectives, beliefs, and goals that motivate the habits and tendencies that you form. This is the part of the framework that is more important when you set goals for yourself, like New Year’s resolutions.
Expression of a habit is promoted by strengthening the stimulus-directed system or weakening the goal-directed. Breaking a habit is the same as vice versa. To create habits of your New Year’s resolutions, we need to first increase your goal-directed control and then progress these habits to become stimulus-directed control.
How exactly will you do this?
The best-known mechanism for habit development is repetition. You need to consistently practice your objectives to be able to make them into habits that are second nature. This involves a neuroscience phenomenon called neuroplasticity. The idea behind this concept is that with each repetition of the act, you are activating neurons that are specific to this stimulus. As the neurons fire more and more, they form new connections in your brain. The more that you practice this act, the more that these connections will form and strengthen, thereby turning your goal-directed control into stimulus-directed control.
For those of you neuroscience enthusiasts, this figure depicts the pathways involved in both stimulus-directed and goal-directed control. The goal-directed takes a pathway that runs through the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is referred to as the “rational part” of the brain and has many functions, notably decision-making. Also notably, my prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed…
The stimulus-directed control takes a pathway that runs through the premotor cortex. The premotor cortex lies just in front of the primary motor cortex and is important for movement planning and coordination, as well as motor learning. Damage to this region of the brain can result in difficulty initiating movements, coordinating movements with external stimuli, or learning new motor tasks.
We just learned about the importance of repetition in habit formation. Another key aspect of habit formation is reinforcement. Behaviors that are followed by positive consequences are more likely to be repeated in the future. This is detailed in a psychological concept called Operant Conditioning.
The best way to carry this out in a real-world context is to first create tangible goals. If you want to lose weight, set an amount that you want to lose per month. If you want to eat healthier, set a limit for your caloric intake. Once you have a tangible number set on these goals, create a reward for achieving them. Whether that’s new workout gear, a massage, or an activity like going to see a movie; reinforcing your good work will quicker establish these positive habits.
There is a behavioral science concept called the Fresh Start Effect that suggests that individuals are more likely to engage in goal-directed behavior and show motivation towards achieving personal objectives when they perceive the beginning of a new time period. For example, a new year.
One of the biggest things that will stand in the way of you achieving these goals and relapsing into old habits is stress. Stress has been shown to interfere with the ability to make and break habits. It has pathological effects on your brain that disrupts the pathways that lead to goal-directed and stimulus-directed controls. Everybody handles stress differently, but I invite you to find comfort in the fact that you can lay all your worries and concerns at the feet of God, and he will strengthen, empower, and ease you.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
— Matthew 11:28
Whether you’ve already written your New Year’s resolutions, filed them away in your brain, or abstained completely, I hope that you can find value in these words for whatever goals you may have.
Don’t just write down what you want to achieve; write down all of the potential barriers to obtaining them. This is a form of exposure therapy. If you are able to identify and idealize the adversities that stand in the pathway of your goals, you will be better equipped to deal with them when they arise.
I encourage you to include goals on your New Year’s resolutions that are not just health, diet, and exercise-related, but aid you in growing in your faith. Spend time with God and ask him to show you what he wants to do in your life this coming year.
I will leave you with this prayer for the New Year:
So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things that your faith prompts you to do.
— 2 Thessalonians 1:11
If you would like to share any feedback, personal experiences, or thoughts with the author, please email coleton.evans@tcu.edu.