Are You Ready for a Fresh Start? (Ep. 455 Replay)

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6 • 32K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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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	Hey there, it's Stephen Dovner.
0:03.8	What is the statute of limitations on wishing someone a happy new year?
0:07.7	Seems like it slips a little further every year.
0:10.7	So let me be the last to wish you a happy 2022.
0:15.1	In celebration, we are putting out this episode from our archive.
0:18.5	It's called, Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?
0:21.7	When it first ran, it seemed as if we had weathered the COVID pandemic and were coming out
0:26.0	the other side.
0:27.3	As it turned out, the virus kept doing its thing all last year, so you may find some of
0:32.9	the COVID references more relevant than we all would have liked.
0:36.9	Otherwise, we've updated some facts and figures, hope you enjoy, and thanks for listening.
0:42.0	I know a lot of people are particularly excited about January 1 of this year.
0:50.6	I got extra emails about, oh, thank goodness, it's finally 2021.
0:55.0	I'm so excited.
0:59.3	That's Katie Milkman.
1:00.6	I'm a professor at the Wharton School, and I'm also the author of the book, How to Change,
1:06.8	and I'm the co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, with Angela Duckworth.
1:12.2	As a behavior change specialist, Milkman sees January 1st as something of a high holy
1:17.2	day.
1:18.2	Every year, roughly half of all Americans make a New Year's resolution to break some
1:22.8	habit, fix some flaw, pick up some new activity.
1:27.4	At the top of these wish lists, and yes, I am calling them wish lists, you'll see why
	...

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