Perhaps it's truly about placing oneself in conducive environments.
Every year, nearly half of all Americans begin the year with a resolution to alter something about their lives. People set goals in an attempt to improve and become happier versions of themselves. However, most of these resolutions end in failure one study found that fewer than 10% of resolutions resulted in success.
Why do so many well-intentioned resolutions fall short?
Until recently, psychologists believed that self-control the ability to stick to and ultimately achieve long-term goals functioned like a muscle. Success was thought to hinge on whether one had enough willpower to achieve their goals. However, emerging research suggests that the success of our resolutions depends more on the environments we choose to place ourselves in.
The Muscle Hypothesis of Self-Control
The muscle hypothesis of self-control posits that individuals have a limited capacity to exert control over their behaviors. When you use your self-control (for example, by pushing yourself to exercise or choosing a nutritious meal), you deplete your resources. Subsequently, when you are in this depleted state (referred to as "ego depletion" by psychologists), you are more likely to succumb to temptations. In this framework, exerting self-control will exhaust you in the short term but can gradually enhance your strength of control over time.
This theory of self-control implies that success hinges on the strength of one's willpower (and character). Achieving your resolutions requires being (or becoming) "strong." At the same time, there's also an implicit judgment of those who fail to stick to their resolutions. People who are deemed "weak" are less likely to adhere to their diets or save for retirement.
For years, the muscle hypothesis of self-control held sway among psychologists. Numerous papers argued that it could explain how people make decisions related to health, social relationships, and financial behaviors. The muscle hypothesis also featured prominently in popular science books throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
However, in recent years, researchers have grown less confident in this hypothesis. Several large-scale experiments failed to find robust support for it (Hagger et al., 2016; Vohs et al., 2021). These trials, which involved numerous research teams collecting data and thousands of participants, observed that the effects of self-control depletion were much less potent than the earlier literature suggested.
While some researchers still believe in the concept of self-control as a muscle, many would agree (at least) that the evidence is much less robust than it appeared. Critics say there's little evidence backing the theory. This means that succeeding in your resolutions isn't solely about how "strong" (or "weak") your self-control is. Instead, it's about the environments you place yourself in.
Self-Control Is About Choosing the Right Environments
While psychologists have become less enamored with the idea that self-control is a muscle, they are more interested in how behaviors are shaped by situational factors.
Certain environments make it exceedingly difficult to stick to our resolutions. Consider two individuals trying to spend less money at Starbucks this year. The individual who lives across the street from a Starbucks will have a much tougher time than the person who resides more than 30 minutes away from the nearest Starbucks.
For these two individuals, success (or failure) has little to do with willpower or resolve. Instead, success is about placing oneself in the right environment (Nordgren, Harreveld, and van der Pligt, 2009). Want to save more money? Then, avoid situations where you'll be strongly tempted to spend it.
People who consistently adhere to their resolutions do so because they are in environments where sticking to a resolution is relatively easy (and it's somewhat difficult to yield to temptation).
Our Perspective on Self-Control Matters
How we think about self-control can profoundly impact our behaviors.
The situational view of self-control suggests that the best way to stick to your resolution is to choose the right environments. Focus on avoiding (rather than resisting) temptation. It also suggests that if your resolution fails, it's likely not due to your personal weakness. You were the perfect fit but in the wrong place. And if you're one of the lucky few who truly succeed in sticking to your resolutions, don't pat yourself on the back too hard. The situation deserves much of the credit.