Are You Ready for a Fresh Start? (Update)

Behavioral scientists have been exploring whether a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. In this update of a 2021 episode, we survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions to look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, fresh starts that backfire — and the ones that succeed.

SOURCES:Katy Milkman • , professor at the Wharton School. Andy Byford • , former commissioner of Transport for London. Ferdinand Rauch • , economist at the University of St. Gallen. Hengchen Dai • , professor at U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management. Bob Tewksbury • , former big-league pitcher.

RESOURCES: • “ A Large-Scale Experiment on New Year’s Resolutions: Approach-Oriented Goals are More Successful than Avoidance-Oriented Goals • ,” by Martin Oscarsson, Per Carlbring, Gerhard Andersson, and Alexander Rozental ( PLOS ONE • , 2020). • “ A Double-Edged Sword: How and Why Resetting Performance Metrics Affects Motivation and Performance • ,” by Hengchen Dai ( Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes • , 2018). • “ The Benefits of Forced Experimentation: Striking Evidence from the London Underground Network • ,” by Shaun Larcom, Ferdinand Rauch, and Tim Willems (2017). • “ Framing the Future: The Risks of Pre-Commitment Nudges and Potential of Fresh Start Messaging • ,” by John Beshears, Hengchen Dai, Katherine L. Milkman, and Shlomo Benartzi ( NBER • , 2016). • “ The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior • ,” by Hengchen Dai, Katherine L. Milkman, and Jason Riis ( Management Science, • 2014). • “ Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundlin • g,” by Katherine L. Milkman, Julia A. Minson, and Kevin G. M. Volpp ( Management Science, • 2013). • “ The Resolution Solution: Longitudinal Examination of New Year’s Change Attempts • ,” by John C. Norcross and Dominic J.Vangarelli ( Journal of Substance Abuse, • 1989).

EXTRAS:How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, • by Katy Milkman (2021).

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