Analysis: Here's what behavioural science suggests will increase your likelihood of keeping and sustaining that New Year change
By Stephen Shannon, Ulster University
An extraordinary and collective phenomenon in psychology occurs every year at this time. Most of you will be familiar with, and have likely experienced, making a New Year's resolution. These behavioural contracts may be informal off-the-cuff statements made at a New Year’s Eve gathering, to more carefully considered, private promises made to oneself. Typically, they involve a deliberate intention to improve one’s health or fitness through behaviour change, such as starting a new physical activity regime, consuming less food and cutting drinking or smoking (or, indeed, all of the above).
Focusing on physical activity motivation, fitness chain PureGym reported that 18 out of their 20 busiest days across the year were in January and February, and 85% of the busiest days fell in the period between January 16th and February 8th. Labelled the 'fresh start effect', commercial gyms are acutely aware of the psychological momentum, and even offer financial incentives to join up in January (e.g., reduced sign-on fee).
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But after consumers are locked into rolling contracts, research has found that just 10% of members attend their gym regularly for the first six months of their membership. More strikingly a study in the Psychology of Sport and Exercise found only 22% of members attended a health and fitness venue after a year, a trend aptly phrased 'Paying Not to Go to the Gym' by authors in the American Economic Review.
Herein lies one of the seminal questions that psychologists and philosophers have tried to understand for centuries: why do we do what we do? One explanation for this process involves changes in our motivation, classically defined as 'to be moved to act'. A person lacking a drive or enthusiasm to act is described as unmotivated, while someone who is energised or directed towards a goal is regarded as motivated. Many tend to think of motivation in terms of 'how much?', with the presumption that more motivation = more health behaviour = improved health/fitness.
While research suggests more people join gyms in January, individuals who joined in autumn and spring showed comparably better longevity in their attendance. These findings raise two important questions: (1) what are the primary reasons (or motives) for joining a gym in January, and (2) are those reasons sustainable? Decades of behavioural science suggest that rather than thinking of motivation strictly in terms of ‘how much’, we should also think of ‘what quality’.
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According to Self-Determination Theory, motivation exists a continuum representing varying quality. On one extreme end, people could be active for externally driven reasons, such as complying with a strict routine imposed by a personal trainer. These are low quality forms of motivation. At the other extreme end is the purest quality form, intrinsic motivation, wherein one is active for inherent enjoyment and interest.
Inbetween those extremes are a range of motives that vary in self-determination. Some might intend to be active for ego-orientated reasons, such as to avoid feelings of guilt or shame associated with one's bodyweight or image. Others may be active for more self-determined reasons; for instance, they consciously value the health and social benefits of physical activity, or even perceive being active as part of their core identity. Importantly, our physical activity behaviour is also determined by automatic processes, or implicit motives. For example, we habitually take the elevator over the stairs because often our physical environment and even biology disincentives effort.
Promisingly, even if one's primary starting point is being active to avoid feelings of shame/guilt, our stance can shift over time, even resulting in enjoying exercise. Furthermore, the most active people experience conflict in their physical activity motivation with other behavioural motives. For example, the gym bag might be packed, but feelings of sluggishness from a long day might tip the balance to remain on the sofa.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, Siofra Mulqueen asks if and how people stick to their New Year's resolutions
So, what does behavioural science suggest will maximise our likelihood to keep and sustain that New Year resolution to get fit? As we are all individuals with unique characteristics and histories, there is no 'one-size-fits-all’ explanation, but one framework integrates some of the most evidenced and reliable theoretical concepts.
To be optimally motivated for a behavioural change, according to the COM-B model for behaviour change, individuals will (i) see themselves as capable to perform the behaviour and (ii) see clear opportunities to engage in the behaviour. Feelings of capability include both psychological and physical dimensions. For example, if we begin a physical activity programme on New Year's Day, most of us are likely to sustain physical activity motivation by beginning with a walk over a high-intensity running programme, because we have (a) the knowledge and understanding of how to perform a walk (i.e., psychological capability) and (b) the required fitness and skills to pace a walk (i.e., physical capability).
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Additionally, both physical and social opportunities in our environment are important for motivational longevity. For most, going walking with friends or family in a local park provides better opportunities than going cycling alone on an unsafe, busy road, without defined cycling lanes. Engagement in physical activity itself provides feedback, creating positive or negative loops with capability, motivation and opportunity.
It means better quality and sustained motivation links to behaviours are enabled by capability and opportunity. Of course, there are some of us who achieve radical and almost immediate change in behaviour and health, but unfortunately, the research indicates these are rarities. If you are someone who has historically struggled with physical activity motivation, it's generally not a good idea to begin January with a radical new routine, such as daily 6am gym sessions combined with a 5km run in the evening. Doing this is likely to undermine your short and long-term motivation. When you're making your New Year’s resolution, take small steps. Perhaps begin with a walk?
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Dr. Stephen Shannon is a Lecturer in Social and Psychological Sciences of Sport in the School of Sport and Faculty of Life & Health Sciences at Ulster University.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
