Each year, a significant proportion of adults commit to New Year’s resolutions intended to improve health, productivity, or quality of life. Despite widespread participation, longitudinal data consistently show that most resolutions are abandoned within weeks or months. This pattern reflects predictable limitations in how goals are conceptualized relative to how the brain regulates motivation, habit formation, and behavioural persistence.

Understanding resolution failure requires moving beyond surface-level explanations and examining the underlying neurobiological and psychological mechanisms involved in sustained behaviour change.

How Temporal Landmarks & Short-Term Motivation Affect Change

The increased motivation observed at the start of a new year is well-documented. Behavioural research refers to this as the fresh start effect, in which temporal boundaries (e.g., new years, birthdays) increase goal salience and future-oriented thinking (Dai et al., 2014).

Neurocognitively, this period is associated with increased engagement of brain networks involved in self-referential processing and future planning. However, this effect is temporary. Once external novelty fades, behaviour is governed primarily by existing neural pathways optimized for efficiency rather than aspiration.

Simply put: a calendar transition alone does not produce durable neural change.

What Are The Neural Constraints of Large-Scale Behavioural Change

Many resolutions involve abrupt, high-effort changes; such as intensive exercise regimens or strict dietary overhauls. These changes rely heavily on executive control, mediated by the prefrontal cortex.

Sustained prefrontal activation is limited by:

Cognitive fatigue
Stress exposure
Competing environmental demands

In contrast, habitual behaviours are regulated by the basal ganglia, which prioritize automation and energy conservation. When a new behaviour is not sufficiently repeated to transition into this system, it remains effortful and vulnerable to disruption.

Large resolutions fail not because they are ambitious, but because they demand prolonged executive regulation without sufficient habit scaffolding.

Reward Processing and Delayed Reinforcement with Sustainable Change

Motivation is closely tied to dopaminergic signaling, particularly in response to perceived progress and reward prediction. Many resolutions provide minimal short-term reinforcement while requiring immediate effort.

This imbalance results in:

Weak reinforcement learning
Reduced motivation persistence
Increased likelihood of disengagement

Behavioural changes that provide frequent, measurable feedback are more likely to produce stable dopamine responses, reinforcing repetition and facilitating habit formation (Schultz, 1998).

Motivation Quality and Goal Internalization

Resolutions are often driven by external expectations rather than internally defined priorities. Self-determination theory distinguishes between autonomous motivation and controlled motivation, with the former showing stronger associations with persistence and psychological well-being

Goals that are not meaningfully internalized place additional strain on regulatory systems and increase avoidance behaviour. Without clear personal relevance, effort is perceived as cost rather than investment.

Readiness for Change and Behavioural Timing

The Transtheoretical Model of Change provides a useful framework for understanding resolution failure. Individuals who attempt behavioural change before reaching adequate psychological readiness; particularly the preparation or action stages, demonstrate higher relapse rates.

Resolutions made impulsively or symbolically often lack the planning, environmental restructuring, and cognitive rehearsal required for sustained execution.

Implications for Effective Change

Evidence consistently supports approaches that emphasize:

Small, repeatable behaviours
Immediate reinforcement
Environmental support
Gradual identity integration

Resolutions framed as outcomes are less effective than those framed as systems. Behavioural change stabilizes when it becomes automated, not when it remains effort-dependent.

Therapy @ VOX Mental Health

If change were simply a matter of willpower, most New Year’s resolutions would succeed. The evidence shows otherwise.

At VOX Mental Health, therapy is not about setting bigger goals or pushing harder. It is about understanding how motivation, habit formation, nervous system regulation, and meaning interact over time. Our clinicians work collaboratively with clients to identify patterns, reduce cognitive and emotional load, and support sustainable change that aligns with personal values and lived context.

Rather than asking, “Why can’t I stick to this?” therapy invites a more accurate question:
“What does my nervous system, environment, and history need to support change?”

If you are interested in moving away from outcome-based resolutions and toward intentional, evidence-informed growth, therapy at VOX offers a space for reflection, experimentation, and integration.