New Year’s Resolution of Optimism

Suggested Citation: Garko, M.G. (2012, January). Optimism – Part I: The New Year’s resolution of optimism. Health and Wellness Monthly. Retrieved (insert month, day, year), from www.letstalknutrition.com.

 

 

New Year’s Resolution of Optimism

 

Michael Garko, Ph.D.

Host – Let’s Talk Nutrition

 

Introduction

 

Given the life-altering and unforgiving impact on people’s day-to-day existence stemming from the country’s devastating financial crisis, discouraging high unemployment rate, dreadful loss of blood and treasure from two protracted wars and a demoralizing grid-locked congress, some may have found it surprising to learn that “Change overall attitude: Be more positive,” made the top ten 2012 resolutions from the annual, holiday Franklin Covey Organizational Products (FCOP) New Year’s Resolutions Survey (Franklin Covey Organizational Products, 2012a; Franklin Covey Organizational Products, 2012b).

 

It was no less interesting to see that people were not distracted from focusing on health resolutions (i.e., becoming more physically fit, improving health and losing weight), despite the negative, life-altering impact caused by the financial, employment, military and governmental challenges besetting the nation.

 

One might be tempted to think the nation’s climate of pervasive and palpable feeling of gloom would discourage people from mustering the psychological wherewithal to be optimistic or to be focused exclusively on their financial health at the cost of their overall health. Yet, FC’s resolution survey data reveal otherwise.

 

In this January, 2012, issue of Health and Wellness Monthly the findings from the FCOP’s New Year’s Resolution Survey for 2012 will be reported and compared to Franklin Covey (FC) 2002 Survey. The resolutions will be organized into categories of improvement involving health, career/job, personal development/growth, relationships and finances. Particular attention will be devoted to the personal development/growth resolution, Change overall attitude: be more positive, because of its connection to the concept of optimism and important implications in influencing the various dimensions of people’s lives, especially their health in all of its complexities.

 

New Year’s Resolutions Survey Results

 

FCOP’s New Year’s Resolutions Survey for 2012 was identical to the Franklin Covey (FC) 2002 Survey. Both surveys contained the same questions, identical survey pools (i.e., U.S. respondents, aged 18-60 and  nationally representative demographics), same sample size (i.e., 1,000 respondents) and same statistical significance level (i.e., Sampling error at the 95% confidence interval) (see Franklin Covey Organizational Products 2012a).

 

2002 FC Survey

 

In 2002, the top ten FC New Year’s resolutions were as follows:

 

  1. Lose weight
  2. Improve financial condition
  3. Quit/reduce smoking
  4. Become more physically fit
  5. Change career or job
  6. Improve family relationships
  7. Improve health
  8. Continue education
  9. Improve work habits and career situation

10.Improve other relationships (friends, coworkers, neighbors)      (Franklin Covey Organizational Products, 2012b).

 

2012 FC Survey

 

In 2012, the top ten FC New Year’s resolutions were as follows:

 

  1. Become more physically fit
  2. Improve financial condition
  3. Improve health
  4. Lose weight
  5. Read more
  6. Change overall attitude: Be more positive
  7. Improve family relationships
  8. Travel more
  9. Do more volunteer work

10.Improve other relationships (friends, coworkers, neighbors)

(Franklin Covey Organizational Products, 2012b).

 

Differences In Findings Between The Two Surveys

 

There were some important differences in the findings between the two surveys.

 

Health-related resolutions. While it was the number one resolution in the FC 2002 survey, the resolution, Lose weight, ranked fourth in 2012.  The resolution, Become more physically fit, moved from the number four ranking in 2002 to the first place position in 2012, with, Improve health, moving up to the number three ranking in 2012. Ten years ago, Improve health, was ranked seventh in importance. The resolution of, Quit/reduce smoking, did not make the top ten resolution list this year. It ranked third in importance in 2002.

 

There are a several possible explanations as to why physical fitness and overall health became resolution priorities in 2012. Given the difficult economic times and high unemployment rate, many people may have lost their medical insurance or are unable to afford it. Thus, they may be thinking that they cannot afford to get sick and realize they need to take better care of themselves.

 

It is interesting that losing weight was not the number one priority for survey respondents and fell to number four in the rankings. It could be that people perceive physical fitness would contribute more to their overall health than losing weight. It could also be that respondents consider losing weight more difficult to accomplish than getting into shape.

 

It is a bit perplexing that quitting smoking ranked third in 2002 and disappeared from the top ten resolutions in 2012 and was replaced by improving overall health. The number of people in theUnited Stateswho smoke has declined in recent years and this could account for why quitting smoking did not make it into the top ten resolutions. It could also be that times are so difficult and stressful that people who smoke may realistically understand they would have a tough time quitting now and would not even consider making a resolution to do so.

 

Nevertheless, three out of the top ten New Year’s resolutions pertained to health. Clearly, health is on the minds of Americans in 2012. That is a good thing.

 

Career/job-related resolutions. In addition to the resolution, Quit/reduce smoking, Change career or job, Continue education and Improve work habits and career situation failed to make it into the top ten resolutions for 2012. One possible explanation for the three career/job-related resolutions to fall out of the top ten is that people may perceive the unemployment and economic situation in the country to be so severe and have caused such uncertainty that they either are reluctant to change jobs and believe they better stay put or they realize that it would be difficult to find another job in such difficult economic and uncertain times.

 

Personal development/growth-related resolutions. There were four New Year’s resolutions which were not included in the 2002 top ten resolutions, which found their way onto the 2012 list. They were: Read more, Change overall attitude: be more positive, Travel and Do more volunteer work. These resolutions could be interpreted as being ones related to personal growth in terms of developing one’s self and helping to inspire the development of others. It is not uncommon for people to inward, become more self-reflective about improving themselves, helping others and realizing that thinking, feeling and behaving negatively is not helpful in coping with the challenges facing them during difficult and uncertain times, a condition which has characterized the country for several years now.

 

Relationship-related resolutions. There was little difference between the 2002 and 2012 survey in relationship-related resolutions. Improve family relationships and were ranked sixth and seventh in 2002 and 2012, respectively. Improve other relationships (friends, co-workers, neighbors) captured the tenth position in both surveys.

 

Finance-related resolutions. Improve financial condition remained important to respondents in both surveys. It ranked second in both surveys. In good times and especially in bad times (as they are now in the country), financial security is always a priority for people. Hence, it is not surprising to see people wanting to improve their financial condition. Having financial security allows people to pay the mortgage, feed one’s family and pay the bills. It most likely did not escape the respondents in the survey that millions of people in theUnited States have lost their financial security causing them to lose their homes (and other possessions), health, happiness and hope for a better future.

 

Conclusion

 

Although there are many who do not endorse or otherwise like the concept of making resolutions and despite the fact that most resolution-makers become resolution-breakers (80%-90% failure rate by some estimates), New Year’s resolutions and surveys about them capture people’s attention.

In fact, each year approximately 40%-45% of well-intentioned American adults make one or more New Year’s resolutions, the most popular of which pertain to health-related behaviors  such as losing weight, quitting smoking, eating healthier, exercising more and reducing intake of alcohol, caffeine and drugs (see Miller & Marlatt, 1998 & Norcross et al., 2002).

Context Is Everything

It is reasonable to assume that FCOP’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 were determined in large measure by the financial, employment, military and governmental challenges besetting the nation. Respondents in a survey do not answer questions in a vacuum. Their answers to survey questions about politics, New Year’s resolutions, societal issues and the like are influenced frequently by the climate in the country and what is taking place in their own lives. Hence, how respondents answered resolution questions in the FC survey was most likely influenced by their perceptions of and personal experiences with the difficult times characterizing the nation. The operating principle here is that context is everything.

Optimism

From my perspective, making New Year’s resolutions is a real way for people to reflect upon and reset the way in which they are living their lives. Making resolutions is an optimistic act in-and-of-itself. In that regard, resolutions can help people to become optimistic about the different dimensions of their day-to-day lives.

Research shows that optimism has the potential to create a positive impact on the 1. way people think, feel and behave, 2. extent to which they will experience happiness, 3. degree of success they will experience in school, at work and in their relationships, 4. quality and quantity of their physical and psychological health and 5. how they approach adversity and the challenges of life and level of success in overcoming them (see Seligman, 1991). Thus, resolving to think, feel and behave in optimistic ways is a beneficial goal.

In the FCOP’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolution Survey for 2012, Change overall attitude: be more positive can be interpreted to represent the concept of optimism. This resolution did not appear in the FC 2002 survey and is new to the FC top ten New Year’s resolutions. As it was alluded to earlier, this is not insignificant in light of how the financial, employment, military and governmental challenges besetting the nation have profoundly and negatively affected the psyche and health of the country, individuals and families. Apparently, a random sample of people from across the country believe either instinctively or out of necessity that it is crucial to remain optimistic. Based on my independent review of the literature and own life experiences, optimism is the fuel of hope, happiness and health, or at least it helps to provide a better chance of achieving these three important life conditions. Optimism has the potential to inspire and bring out the best in people, especially during difficult times.

 

In upcoming issues of Health and Wellness Monthly, there will be a comprehensive treatment of optimism and the kinds of scientifically supported positive effects it has on people’s lives. In the meantime, think, feel and behave positive, a mantra worth practicing daily.

 

References

 

Franklin Covey Organizational Products (2012a). New Year’s resolutions: Changes in priority in the last decade. Retrieved on December 20, 2011, from http://www.company.franklinplanner.com/downloads/2012vs2002.

 

Franklin Covey Organizational Products (2012b). New Year’s resolutions survey reveals goal shifts from 2002 to 2012: Overall health and fitness beat out weight and smoking goals. Retrieved on December 20, 2011, from http://company.franklinplanner.com/press_room/november2nd.

 

Miller & Marlatt (1998). How to keep up with those New Year’s resolutions: Researchers find commitment is the secret of success. Retrieved December, 1997, from http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/news/1997archive/12-97archive/k122397html

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.

Seligman, M. E. P. (1991). Learned optimism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

 

Suggested Citation: Garko, M.G. (2012, January). Optimism – Part I: The New Year’s resolution of optimism. Health and Wellness Monthly. Retrieved (insert month, day, year), from www.letstalknutrition.com.