Have you made any New Year's resolutions? It's that time of year
again, when many people resolve to learn a new skill, give up
something that's bad for them, or simply put more effort in at
school.
But do New Year's resolutions work? Richard Wiseman, a
psychologist, thinks not. In 2007, he showed that 88% of all
resolutions are broken. That's a poor record for resolution
keeping!
Why are New Year's resolutions so hard to
keep?
Our prefrontal cortex, a small area in the brain, is responsible
for our willpower. The prefrontal cortex is pretty
busy. It not only has to keep our New Year's resolutions on track,
it also has to take charge of short term memory, solving abstract
problems and keeping us focused. If your prefrontal cortex is so
busy, no wonder most New Year's resolutions fail. It's not a lack
of discipline, it's your poor, overworked brain being too busy!
Keeping New Year's resolutions
Train your willpower!
Some researchers think your willpower is just like a muscle. You
can strengthen your willpower through exercising it, just like you
can strengthen your muscles. If you concentrate on one thing at a
time, such as improving your posture, this will strengthen you
willpower in other areas. Pretty impressive! The key is not to
overload your prefrontal cortex. Concentrate on just
one thing at a time that you need willpower for.
It will get easier with time!
To find out more about the science behind New Year's
resolutions, visit Inside the Brain and
Doctor Stu's
Blog.