Ready to make a change for New Year's? Behavioral science can help

Fresh Starts

Fresh starts play a crucial role in motivating behavior change, as they offer a psychological clean slate. Katy Milkman explains that these moments, such as New Year's or birthdays, help people feel like they can leave past failures behind and embrace new goals with renewed vigor 1. This concept is supported by research showing increased gym attendance and goal setting around these temporal landmarks.

Fresh starts are really powerful. We organize time around events like, okay, maybe this was the pandemic year, and that's the pandemic year chapter in your life.

--- Katy Milkman

Marielle Segarra highlights that understanding change as a chronic process rather than a one-time event is essential for long-term success 2.

   

Opportunities

Temporal landmarks can be strategically used to encourage positive behaviors, such as saving money. Katy Milkman shares a study where participants were more likely to start saving for retirement when the invitation was tied to a fresh start, like a birthday 1. This approach increased savings by 30% over eight months, demonstrating the power of framing opportunities around these key moments.

By just calling out the birthday and flagging the fresh start, we increased the appeal.

--- Katy Milkman

Companies can leverage these insights to design interventions that align with natural fresh starts, thereby enhancing their effectiveness in promoting desired behaviors.