Secret of good resolutions is to reward your positive thinking

Published on Sunday 27 December 2009 22:02

FEWER than a quarter of Britons will succeed with their New Year resolutions – because they approach them the wrong way.

Psychologist Richard Wiseman studied 700 volunteers who had made a wide range of New Year resolutions, including quitting smoking, losing weight, starting a relationship or gaining a qualification.

Just 22 per cent of participants either managed to meet their goals or described their progress as "very successful".

The reason so many failed is that they took the wrong approach – and were led astray by self-help books, said Prof Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire.

Comparing the techniques of successful and unsuccessful resolution makers, he came up with a list of tips for staying the course.

Those who failed tended to dwell on the bad things that would happen if they did not achieve their goal, he said.

They were likely to remove temptation from their surroundings, adopt role models, fantasise about being successful and rely on willpower.

"Many of these ideas are frequently recommended by self-help experts but our results suggest that they simply don't work," said Prof Wiseman. "Because of the widespread nature of this advice, millions of people will fail to achieve their aims."

Successful participants, on the other hand, broke their goals into small steps, rewarding themselves when each stage was passed.

They also told friends about what they were trying to achieve, reminded themselves of the benefits of obtaining their goal and charted their progress.

"Many of the most successful techniques involve making a plan and helping yourself stick to it," said Prof Wiseman.