New Year’s Resolutions: History, Psychology & Tips to Keep Them

New Year’s resolutions are more than just a modern trend; they are a practice rooted in history, from Roman promises to the two-faced god Janus to 17th-century diary pledges. But why do we make them, and more importantly, why do we fail? This guide covers everything you need to know about the origins of resolutions and the behavioral science behind them. Plus, read on for our top tips on setting specific, achievable goals that stick long after January is over.

The history of New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions have a long history. Historians believe that the Ancient Babylonians may have been the first to make New Year’s Resolutions 4,000 years ago, although their New Year started in mid-March. Akitu, a 12-day religious festival saw them reaffirm their loyalty to the king, debts were promised to be paid to Gods and borrowed objects returned.

Romans in 46 BC had a similar practise but by then, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar so that the start of New Year fell on 1 January, the month being inspired by Janus, the God with two faces.  On 1 January, they looked back at the year that had just passed and looked forward to the year that was to come.  Early Christians would look back and think about past mistakes, resolving to do better in the year to come.

In the Middle Ages, it is possible but not confirmed that the Peacock Vow was a form of New Year’s Resolution. Each knight gathered at a New Year’s feast had to place a hand on a peacock, whether dead, alive or cooked, we don’t know and swear to live by chivalric ideals for the coming year.  

A diary entry written by Scottish gentlewoman, Anne Halkett, in 1671 lists a number of pledges taken from biblical verses including ‘I will not offend anymore.’  She titled the page Resolutions and wrote then on 2 January which would suggest that the practise of setting resolutions was in use at the time.

By the beginning of the 19^th century, it was common to find people setting and failing to keep such resolutions.  An article from ‘Walker’s Hibernian Magazine in 1802, states that “the following personages have begun the year with a strong of resolutions, which they all solemnly pledged to keep”, before listing a series of obviously fictitious resolutions.

Why do we make New Year's resolutions?

According to Ivo Vlaev, Professor of Behavioural Science at the University of Warwick, New Year’s resolutions offer a ‘powerful opportunity for self-reflection and intentional growth that is rooted in six fundamental psychological needs shared by all humans and they serve as a catalyst for meaningful change.

1. Setting resolutions encourages us to assess our past achievements and shortcomings and by taking stock of the past year, we can identify what matters to us, laying the foundations for personal and professional development.
2. Goals such as exercising or eating more healthily contribute to a happier, more fulfilling life and this fosters a sense of vitality and balance.
3. Resolutions embody our hope for the future, our desire for improvement and progression and to strive towards becoming our best selves.
4. The New Year is a psychological milestone, a clean slate, a fresh start which motivates people to leave behind old habits and adopt new, better, ones.
5. Resolutions give our lives structure and direction, providing clarity for the year ahead, helping us focus on what matters most to us.
6. If we keep our resolutions, it gives us belief in our ability to achieve goals, creating a sense of positivity that encourages further growth.

What are the most popular New Year’s resolutions?

In the UK the most popular New Year’s Resolutions seem to focus on self-improvement and particularly on improving future well-being. Last year, 17% of people surveyed vowed to get fit or exercise more and a similar number said they wanted to lose weight.  Some people vowed simply to ‘be healthier’ or to eat more healthily), to improve their mental health and/or reduce the amount of alcohol they drink.  A significant number state that they want to quit smoking or vaping. In 2025, 7% of people surveyed said they wanted to improve their skills or knowledge whilst 5% hoped they would become a better person in the coming year.  A further 5% resolved to embrace the important things in life and spend more time with family and friends. One of the more common resolutions is to save more/spend less with 21% of resolution makers saying they intend to improve their finances this way.

Why do we fail to keep New Year's resolutions?

A survey carried out by outdoor clothing brand, TOG24, which polled 2,000 people across the UK highlighted that whilst 60% intended to keep their resolutions, the majority struggled with more than 33% admitting failing to keep their resolution to maintain healthy habits.

Women are less likely to keep their resolutions as compared to men. Only 17% of women surveyed managed to maintain their good habits compared with 26% of men.

Younger individuals tended to keep their healthy resolutions, with 30% of those aged 18-27 years and 28 to 45 managing to do so compared to only 13% of those over 45.

Why do we fail to keep New Year’s Resolutions

• People set resolutions that are too big, rather than setting smaller, achievable, immediate goals
• Understanding why you want to change is more important than thinking you should change
• Change only becomes a habit by sticking with small steps rather than by making drastic and immediate changes.

Our top tips for keeping New Year's Resolutions This Year:

• Focus on one or two goals – perhaps to get fit and lose weight, rather than trying to achieve a whole list of goals. Make a list of all the things you’d like to change and then start cutting them down until you work out what goals are the most important to you.
  
  
• Understand why you have chosen your goals and make sure they will benefit you. You may decide to lose weight – is that to lower your blood pressure, to make it easier to get fit, to wear nicer clothes, to be healthier.  You’ll be more likely to commit to a resolution if you understand the reason you’re aiming to achieve it.
  
  
• Make sure your goals are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-related Set yourself a specific goal – for example, to be able to jog a mile. Make sure you can measure that – measure your run so you know when you have managed to run half a mile or similar.  Make sure that you are able to achieve this – so don’t say you’re going to run a marathon at first – your goal has to be realistic.  Set yourself a time period – you want to be able to run a mile by 1 April – that is, three months after New Year.  If you want to get fit, you might say by 1 April, you are going to be doing three fitness classes a week.  That’s also realistic, measurable, time-specific and achievable.
  
  
• Share your goals and enlist some help – for example, if you want to lose two stones in weight by 1 April, join an organisation such as Slimming World, where you will receive help and support and be weighed regularly. Having support makes all the difference.  If you don’t want to go to an official source of help, find yourself a friend who has similar goals and you can help motivate each other.  You’re more likely to stay committed if you’re not struggling alone.
  
  
• Set up your surroundings so that it’s easier to achieve your goals. If you aim to get fit by going to the gym after work three times a week, pack your gym clothes and set the bag near the door so all you need do is pick it up on your way out.  If you’re trying to eat healthily, pack yourself a healthy lunch and some healthy snacks to eat during the day.  If you’re at home, leave them in the fridge rather than grabbing anything that’s in there because you’re hungry.
  
  
• Be kind to yourself and don’t be too hard on yourself if you have a bad day and backslide – for example, if you’re losing weight and succumb to the temptation to eat a chocolate bar. You’re bound to make some slip ups on the way; it’s how you deal with them that counts.
  
  
• Track your progress and celebrate your wins. If you’ve lost a stone and are halfway to your goal, give yourself a treat or buy yourself a present.  Create a series of mini milestones so that you can really see what you are achieving on the way to reaching your goals.
  
  
• Focus on starting a new habit. Don’t think about what you want to stop doing so much as what you want to start doing.  For example, don’t focus so much on losing weight, focus on eating more healthily.   And remember it takes time to form new habits.