Welcome to 2024, everyone! 🍾 I hope you’ve enjoyed the holidays and were able to ring in the New Year with friends and family 🥳
As the confetti settles and the last echoes of "Auld Lang Syne" fade away, many of us find ourselves scribbling down a list of New Year's resolutions. But have you ever stopped to wonder why we make these annual pledges and why they often seem destined to fail?
Let's put our scientific hats on to figure out what derails us and how we can do a better job keeping them! 🤓
An Ancient Tradition
If you’re like many people, come the end of December your thoughts often gravitate towards change and self-improvement. New Year's resolutions are deeply embedded in our culture and psyche. This time-honored tradition is a universal phenomenon and such promises have ancient roots:
“The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honor of the new year……
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