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Should You Make New Year’s Resolutions?

It depends on how SMART you are

Barry Silverstein
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

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Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Those of us who have been around the block a few times, so to speak, may recall our younger years when we had ambitious goals and optimistically made them part of our resolutions at the beginning of a new year.

As we age, we realize, perhaps sadly, that too many of these well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside for one reason or another. As Dr. Mark Griffiths, a professor of behavioral addiction at Nottingham Trent University, says, “Research has shown that about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months.”

So the question becomes, “Should I make any New Year’s resolutions for 2025?”

Dr. Mark Nathanson, a geriatric psychiatrist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, says yes:

“A resolution is important because the implication is you’re looking toward the future.

It’s one of the things I do as a psychiatrist: Encourage people to look forward. It’s a critical element of my evaluation: Are people looking forward to the future, are looking forward to tomorrow, or are they feeling hopeless and helpless? When people look forward, when they are future oriented, it’s a good thing.”

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