The first week of January is complete, a time where many of us begin to let our New Year’s resolutions slip already. Whether you wanted to run a marathon, save more money, or quit unhealthy habits, the motivation we have on January 1 can fade fast.
Research shows 91% of people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions, and 23% give up within the first week. Of course, implementing change can feel challenging, but is there more to why we give up resolutions so easily?
Psychologists from the University of Michigan argue that the answer could lie in the words we use. Specifically, people’s inability to distinguish the difference between the words willpower and self-control.
Most people use willpower and self-control interchangeably, to describe resisting temptation in the moment. In reality, self-control is about changing behaviour to reach positive outcomes, and willpower is about overcoming moments of temptation to help yourself in the long-run.
Overall, both words relate to long-term strategy, but many unintentionally use the terms in regards to tiny moments.
“If a social scientist told his patients to exercise self-control to avoid sweets, they would think he meant resisting the immediate craving to eat a freshly baked cookie. They would not think he meant taking the long route home to avoid driving past the bakery,” Chandra Sripada, a psychiatric neuroscientist and philosopher at the University of Michigan, shared.
“You have to communicate with people using a familiar vocabulary.”
The shift is thought to have gradually have taken place over thousands of years, which is why so many get the meanings confused.
Confusion caused by this mix-up can prevent some from following through with their New Year’s resolutions as it doesn’t provide an accurate description of how to achieve goals. Experts are encouraging people to reframe how they speak about their resolutions if they want to stick with them, and make sure they understand the importance of thinking in the long-term, rather than in short moments of temptation.