The Real Reason We Keep Trying Again Every January

In a few weeks, it will be a new year.  This is the one where we’ll all get rich and ripped for sure.

But jokes aside, why do we do the New Year’s resolution thing? It’s just another day on the calendar.

Except psychologically, it’s not.

Our brains use specific dates and occasions to create mental dividers called temporal landmarks. These landmarks, like a new year, birthdays, the start of a month, or even just Mondays, act as psychological “reset points.”

Research shows that when a date feels like the beginning of a new chapter, people are more likely to change their behavior to pursue a goal. Not necessarily because motivation spikes, but because the landmark creates distance between who we were and who we want to be.

In simple terms, temporal landmarks help us mentally say, “That old imperfect version of me belongs to the past.”

When people feel less psychologically tied to past missteps like missed workouts, failed diets, or unfinished projects, they’re more willing to try again.  And with a clean slate, confidence goes up, and starting feels easier.

 

This helps explain why New Year’s resolutions aren’t totally irrational. They’re a predictable response to a moment that strongly signals a new beginning.

Interestingly, this effect doesn’t require a major life event. Simply framing a date as “the start of something new” meaningfully increases the likelihood that people will take actions like signing up for reminders or committing to a plan.

 

It is worth recognizing why January 1 feels different and why it’s not crazy to lean on a psychological reset to help us make the changes we want.

But, of course, that doesn’t mean resolutions magically work. Getting the ball rolling is one thing (and a significant part of change), but keeping it going takes much more work.