New Year Goals May Feel Harder Due To Mental Fatigue, Research Shows

New Year’s resolutions may seem more difficult this year due to widespread mental wellness decline and “change fatigue,” according to research from Dublin City University Professor Vlad Glăveanu. Studies show repeated change can cause emotional exhaustion, reducing people’s willingness to engage with new goals. Climate anxiety, political instability, and economic uncertainty make “starting over” feel unrealistic for many. Glăveanu’s research found that meaningful change requires people to see opportunities and feel able to act on them. Rather than dramatic reinvention, Glăveanu suggests small, realistic shifts within existing constraints work better. He recommends shared resolutions among families or groups, where responsibility is distributed. Research shows lasting change depends more on how goals are supported than willpower alone. (Story URL)