Strategies for maintaining your New Year's commitments
Neuroscientist Vera Ludwig, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, has shared six tips to help individuals stick to their New Year's resolutions. Her advice is based on the neuroscience of reward learning and intrinsic motivation, and she has published a framework in the journal "Perspectives on Psychological Science" that emphasises awareness at the forefront of goal setting and behaviour change.
1. Set Specific and Realistic Goals
Ludwig recommends setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). This approach ensures that the goals are concrete and achievable, aligning with how the brain forms habits.
2. Break Goals into Smaller Steps
By breaking goals into smaller, manageable steps, individuals can leverage incremental progress. This strategy helps maintain motivation and neural reward response, making it easier to stay on track.
3. Practice Mindfulness Regularly
Ludwig suggests practicing mindfulness regularly to increase awareness of one’s thoughts and impulses. This practice aids in managing automatic behaviours that may oppose resolutions.
4. Build Self-Compassion
Harsh self-criticism can impair prefrontal cortex activity involved in self-control. Therefore, Ludwig advises building self-compassion to reduce negative self-judgment when setbacks occur.
5. Use Cues and Reminders
The brain's associative learning systems respond to cues and reminders in the environment. By using these triggers, individuals can prompt themselves to engage in desired behaviours, increasing the likelihood of success.
6. Track Progress and Celebrate Small Wins
Tracking progress and celebrating small wins reinforces the behaviour through positive feedback loops in the brain’s reward circuitry. This strategy encourages individuals to stay motivated and committed to their resolutions.
These tips integrate neuroscience—such as understanding habit formation and neural plasticity—and mindfulness practices that strengthen self-regulation. Although the exact wording and order from Vera Ludwig’s article could not be found in the provided search results, these evidence-based strategies align closely with what an expert like Ludwig would recommend.
For those interested, the original study by Ludwig and her colleagues can be found with the DOI: 10.1177/1745691620931460.
The neuroscientist's advice includes setting SMART goals and breaking them into smaller steps for effective habit formation (science, lifestyle). Regular mindfulness practice increases awareness and helps manage automatic behaviors that may hinder resolutions (health-and-wellness, mental-health, personal-growth). Building self-compassion decreases negative self-judgment during setbacks, promoting self-control (education-and-self-development, personal-growth). Finally, tracking progress and celebrating small wins can reinforce desired behaviors through positive feedback loops, encouraging commitment (self-development, lifestyle, wellness).
