![\"new](\"https:\/\/metrouk2.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/new-year-new-life.gif?w=620&h=336&crop=1\")
<\/p>\nStop. Don\u2019t tweet that \u2018first day of the new me\u2019 nonsense. Hold back on that Instagram of your new Nike shoes.<\/p>\n
Because running around telling everyone about your New Year\u2019s resolutions won\u2019t do you any good. In fact, it could make you less likely to keep them.<\/p>\n
As The Science of Us pointed out this week, more than 80 years of research has been conducted around the theme of the following question: \u2018if you tell people you\u2019re going to do something, are you more or less likely to do it?\u2019<\/p>\n
And the overwhelming answer to that question? Telling people you\u2019re going to do things is a bad idea. A very bad idea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Science of Us gives the following example of how telling people you\u2019re doing something makes you feel like you\u2019ve already done it: \u2018A classic example\u00a0is the marathon: Someone resolves to run a marathon in 2016, then proceeds to tell this to everyone he knows.<\/p>\n
\u2018Suddenly he\u2019s posting photos of his new running shoes all over Instagram, and tweeting about the merits of one training plan over another.<\/p>\n
\u2018He starts to feel like the kind <\/i>of person who runs marathons \u2013 never mind that he\u2019s so far avoided doing much of the work required to actually run one.\u2019<\/p>\n
This is called \u2018social reality\u2019, which is basically a fancy term for the concept that if everyone thinks something about you is true, you\u2019ll feel like it\u2019s true, too.<\/p>\n
So if everyone\u2019s marvelling at your impressive New Year\u2019s resolutions, you\u2019ll feel really proud and accomplished, like you\u2019ve already done it \u2013 making you less motivated to actually go out and do the thing you promised to feel the positive results.<\/p>\n
Of course, the caveat to this is social pressure. If you tell everyone you\u2019re doing something and then they witness you doing the exact opposite, you\u2019re going to feel pretty rubbish about yourself. So you\u2019re more likely to keep up your resolutions to avoid any embarrassment and failure in front of your peers.<\/p>\n
The important thing isn\u2019t to keep all your resolutions totally secret, unless you think that\u2019s best. If you need social support \u2013 or just want to chat about what you\u2019re up to \u2013 go right ahead.<\/p>\n
But just remind yourself that loudly professing you\u2019re going to accomplish something isn\u2019t at all the same as actually accomplishing it. Don\u2019t give yourself a pat on the back for resolving, reward yourself for doing.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: Mirror UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stop. Don\u2019t tweet that \u2018first day of the new me\u2019 nonsense. Hold back on that Instagram of your new Nike shoes. Because running around telling everyone about your New Year\u2019s resolutions won\u2019t do you any good. In fact, it could make you less likely to keep them. As The Science of Us pointed out this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1565],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n