New Year's Resolutions: A 4,000-Year-Old Habit (and How to Keep Yours)
People have made promises at the new year since ancient Babylon. Here's where resolutions came from and what research says about sticking to them.
Every January, millions of people promise to exercise more, spend less or finally learn that language. Making resolutions feels modern, but the habit is thousands of years old.
Promises to the gods
About 4,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians celebrated the new year with a festival called Akitu, held in spring when crops were planted. During the festival they made promises to their gods, such as paying their debts and returning borrowed items. Keeping those promises was thought to bring good fortune for the year ahead.
The Romans later began their year in January, a month named after Janus, the two-faced god who looks back to the past and forward to the future. In 1740, the English preacher John Wesley started "Covenant Renewal" services, held on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, as a time to reflect and recommit, an early version of the year-end look back many people still take.
Why resolutions fail
Most of us know the pattern: lots of energy in the first week of January, and old habits back by February. Psychologists point to a few common reasons: goals that are too vague ("get fit"), too big all at once, or based on willpower alone.
What helps
- Make it specific. "Walk for 20 minutes after lunch on weekdays" is easier to keep than "exercise more."
- Use if-then plans. Research by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer found that plans like "If it's 7 a.m., then I put on my running shoes" make people more likely to follow through.
- Aim for something, not just away from something. A large 2020 study in Sweden found people with "approach" goals (start eating more vegetables) did better than those with "avoidance" goals (stop eating sweets).
- Give it time. A well-known study from University College London found it took participants 66 days on average for a new habit to feel automatic, with a wide range from 18 to 254 days. Missing a day now and then didn't ruin progress.
Need a fresh start date? See how long is left on the New Year countdown, or take our New Year personality quiz.