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This is a tradition commonly found in the Western Hemisphere, but it can also be found in the Eastern Hemisphere. It’s when a Person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their lives. Do you know what it is? Do you know how it started or where it came from?

It’s a New Year’s Resolution!

Where does it come from?

New Year’s Resolutions actually has religious origins. About 4,000 years ago Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. The year for the Babylonians did not start in January but in mid-March when they planted their crops for the year. During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king.

The Romans performed a similar practice. Beginning each year, the Romans made promises to the god Janus, which the month of January is named after. They believed that Janus symbolically looked back into the previous year as well as into the future. They offered sacrifices to the deity and made promises of good conduct for the coming year.

This tradition has many other religious parallels. During Judaism’s New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the high holiday’s culmination in Yom Kippur. This is where one reflects upon one’s wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. For early Christians, the first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future. In 1740, the English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, created the Covenant Renewal Service, most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. This included readings from Scriptures and hymn singing and served as a spiritual alternative to the raucous celebrations normally held to celebrate the coming of the new year.

Now popular with evangelical Protestant churches, especially African-American denominations and congregations, watch night services are held on New Year’s Eve. These services are often spent praying and making resolutions for the coming year.

Top 5 Most Common New Year’s Resolutions for 2018

• Eat better
• Exercise more
• Spend less money
• Self-care
• Read more books

 

How Many People Make New Year’s Resolutions?

At the end of the Great Depression, about 25% of American adults formed New Year’s Resolutions. At the start of the 21^st century, about 40% formed resolutions. Some studies show that for those who make common resolutions like the ones stated above were ten times as likely to succeed, then those who did not make resolutions.

How Many People Succeed?

The most common reason for participants failing their New Year’s Resolutions was because they set themselves unrealistic goals. Approximately 35% of individuals who fail set unrealistic goals. It’s important to know your limits and set goals that you can achieve if you really want to keep them. Read our blog post on how to keep your new year’s resolutions. In 2007, Richard Wiseman, from the University of Bristol, carried out a study involving 3,000 people which showed that 88% of people who made new year resolutions failed.