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Freakonomics Radio

455. Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.632K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2021

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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?

Transcript

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0:00.0

I know a lot of people are particularly excited about January 1 of this year.

0:05.6

I got extra emails about, oh thank goodness it's finally 2021. I'm so excited.

0:14.0

That's Katie Milkman. I'm a professor at the Wharton School and I'm also the author of the book

0:19.8

How to Change and I'm the co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative with Angela Ducoris.

0:26.2

As a Behavior Change specialist, Milkman sees January 1st as something of a high holy day.

0:32.8

Every year roughly half of all Americans make a New Year's resolution to

0:37.2

break some habit, fix some flaw, pick up some new activity.

0:42.2

At the top of these wish lists, and yes I am calling them wish lists, you'll see why later,

0:47.6

at the top are eating better, drinking less, exercising more.

0:52.8

We asked Freakonomics radio listeners to tell us their resolutions for this year.

0:57.4

Some of you said the bar pretty low.

1:00.6

My New Year's resolution is to give myself a freaking break.

1:05.8

I realized I haven't been showering enough, so I made a New Year's resolution to show

1:11.4

where every 36 hours and so far so good.

1:13.9

Visiting the tide pools, that's it, that's the only New Year's resolution that I set.

1:18.4

And I figured it'd be really awesome if it happened and also totally okay if it didn't.

1:24.4

And some of you are more ambitious.

1:26.9

My New Year's resolution was to read 25 books so far I'm on target.

1:32.3

Last year my New Year's resolution was to stop drinking during the week,

1:36.4

and that was a complete failure.

1:39.0

I made a resolution to try one new food every week because I used to be an incredibly picky eater.

1:46.4

Hi there Freakonomics, my one resolution in 2021 is that at least four days every month,

...

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