Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers
Norcross, Mrykalo and Blagys followed New Year's resolvers and a comparison group planning a later change by telephone for six months. The groups were similar in demographics and in the changes they wanted. Resolvers succeeded at much higher rates: 46 per cent were continuously successful at six months against 4 per cent of nonresolvers. Among resolvers, self-efficacy, change skills and readiness measured before 1 January predicted success. The title describes the outcomes as self-reported.
Norcross, Mrykalo and Blagys followed New Year's resolvers and a comparison group planning a later change by telephone for six months. The groups were similar in demographics and in the changes they wanted. Resolvers succeeded at much higher rates: 46 per cent were continuously successful at six months against 4 per cent of nonresolvers. Among resolvers, self-efficacy, change skills and readiness measured before 1 January predicted success. The title describes the outcomes as self-reported.
Written from the abstract, PubMed record, 2026-11-02; citation metadata checked against Crossref.
What our sources record
Recorded when this source was checked, figures included, with page references and quotation marks removed.
Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(4), 397-405. doi:10.1002/jclp.1151 https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1151