MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. Already planning to drop those pounds you put on in quarantine next year? Perhaps your New Years resolution is to get back out and travel more. Whatever the plan is, a professor from the University of Rochester says youre better off throwing your 2021 goals out now because few ever get accomplished. To change things up, and make yourself happier, the expert on motivation and well-being claims resolutions to help others will be better for you personally in the long run.
Richard Ryan, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Rochester, says motivational researchers always have mixed feelings about making New Years resolutions.
The evidence shows that most of the time people arent successful at them, he explains in a university release.That is because most of these midnight resolutions look more like pressure coming from the outsidean attempt to look better, relieve guilt, or meet the standards of others. Losing weight, for example, is one of the most common New Years goals and one that people tend to do poorly at. Part of the reason for that is where its coming from: its often coming from internal or external pressureas opposed to a goal thats something that you might intrinsically value such as having more health or vitality. If the goal is one that is not authentic and not really coming from your own values or interests, the energy for it fades fast.
The clinical psychologist says people shouldnt look at this as a reason to give up on making goals. Instead, Ryan contends that any occasion that gives someone the opportunity to reflect on their life is a good thing.Whenever that happens, if its really a reflective change something that you put your heart behind that can be good for people, he notes.
The professors tip for New Years suggests that goals which include giving back to others will likely be the most satisfying resolutions to make. He adds that such goals are especially helpful now as the world deals with COVID-19.
Think of how you can help. Theres a lot of distress out there: If we can set goals that aim to help others, those kinds of goals will, in turn, also add to our own well-being, Ryan explains.
Ryan and fellow professor emeritus of psychology Edward Deci created the self-determination theory, a framework for their research on human motivation and personality. Its basic principle is that all humans have a natural tendency to act in effective and healthful ways.
To that end, Ryan finds that being helpful satisfies all three psychological needs discovered by the self-determination theory autonomy, competence, and relatedness. When it comes to helping others, autonomy refers to engaging in activities which give you a feeling of personal value. Competence describes feeling effective while also having a sense of accomplishment regarding your good deed. Lastly, relatedness expresses the feeling of working and sharing a connection with others.
We found that when people are focused on giving to others they experience deeper satisfactions than when their goals are more self-oriented. For example, experiments show that doing something benevolent for others, even when you will never meet the beneficiary, increases your positive mood and energy, Ryan reports.
If you want to make a New Years resolution that really makes you happy, think about the ways in which you can contribute to the world. All three of these basic needs are fulfilled. The research shows its not just good for the world but also really good for you.
Ryans recent findings appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
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Forget weight loss: New Years resolutions to help others will make you happier - Study Finds
