2022-02-03
44 分钟Behavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. We survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions; we look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, and fresh starts that backfire. And we wonder: will the pandemic’s end provide the biggest fresh start ever?
Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.
What is the statute of limitations on wishing someone a happy new year?
Seems like it slips a little further every year, so let me be the last to wish you a happy 2022.
In celebration, we are putting out this episode from our archive.
It's called are you ready for a fresh start?
When it first ran, it seemed as if we had weathered the COVID pandemic and were coming out the other side.
As it turned out, the virus kept doing doing its thing all last year.
So you may find some of the COVID references more relevant than we all would have liked otherwise.
We've updated some facts and figures.
Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening.
I know a lot of people were particularly excited about January 1 of this year.
I got extra emails about, oh, thank goodness it's finally 2021.
I'm so excited.
That's Katie Milkman.
I'm a professor at the Wharton School, and I'm also the author of the book how to change.
And I'm the co director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative with Angela.
Duckworth as a behavior change specialist.
Milkman sees January 1 as something of a high holy day.
Every year, roughly half of all Americans make a New Year's resolution to break some habitat, fix some flaw, pick up some new activity at the top of these wish lists.
And yes, I am calling them wish lists.