The secret to keeping your resolutions? Enjoy them

Making New Year’s resolutions is easy – sticking to them is where it gets tricky. We often blame a lack of motivation for giving up, but maybe it’s not about having no motivation – rather, we might be missing the right kind. A recent study by Laura M Giurge and co-authors explored how intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation shapes our chances of staying committed to those resolutions.

A study published in Psychological Science, led by Kaitlin Woolley of Cornell University in collaboration with LSE’s Laura M Giurge and Ayelet Fishbach from the University of Chicago, followed 2,000 U.S. participants over the course of a year. At the start, participants shared their primary New Year’s resolution, and researchers assessed whether each goal was driven mainly by intrinsic motivation (doing something because it is interesting, enjoyable, or satisfying) or extrinsic motivation (doing something for external rewards or outcomes). The resolutions fell into six categories: physical health, financial, healthier consumption, professional, personal, and relationship goals. Over three follow-up check-ins during the year, the researchers found a clear pattern: participants who found their resolutions intrinsically motivating were significantly more likely to stick with them during the year. By contrast, those who found their resolutions important or life-changing were not more likely to pursue them across the year.

"What is particularly interesting to me about this research is that although goal setting is often extrinsically motivated, successful long-term goal pursuit is fundamentally intrinsically motivated," said Laura M Giurge. "In other words, you might set a goal like exercise more for extrinsic reasons (it’s important for your long-term health), but you might want to pursue it for intrinsic reasons (you enjoy going for a run)."

A second study asked whether these findings would hold in a non-Western context. The researchers recruited participants in China just before the Chinese New Year and followed up one month later. The results echoed the first study: those who found their goals to be intrinsically motivated were more likely to stick with them.

In a third study, the researchers explored how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation relate to actual behaviour. They recruited participants who aimed to walk more and used a step-counting app, tracking their steps over a two-week period. Once again, the pattern was clear: those who enjoyed walking (intrinsic motivation) walked significantly more steps than those who say walking as important and useful for them (extrinsic motivation).

Finally, the authors tested whether intrinsic motivation could cause better goal adherence. Participants downloaded a health app that scans product barcodes (such as food or cosmetics) to reveal health information. They were asked to focus on either intrinsic reasons (how fun and interesting the app was) or extrinsic reasons (how useful the app was). Those in the intrinsic condition scanned 25 per cent more products over a 24-hour period, showing a stronger desire to explore and learn about health impacts.

So, with the New Year rapidly approaching, what does this mean for your resolutions? Don’t just chase the outcome – focus on making the journey enjoyable. Whether your goal is to exercise more, save money, or advance your career, find ways to make the process rewarding in the moment.

Giurge said: “Our research suggests that how people feel about their goals impacts their behaviour. In choosing your New Year’s Resolution or any goal that you wish to pursue in the long run, consider ways in which pursuing those goals is interesting and enjoyable to you. If you want to exercise more, think about what is fun and interesting about exercising to you, or if you want to pursue a promotion next year, think about the ways in which you can make the process more fun.”

This article provides a summary of research findings from the following paper:

Woolley, K., Giurge, L. M., & Fishbach, A. (2025). Adherence to Personal Resolutions Across Time, Culture, and Goal Domains. Psychological Science, 36(8), 607-621. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976251350960