ST. LEO, FL -- We're about to flip the calendar into 2020. It's the time of year many of us start thinking about New Year's resolutions. But according to a new survey, most of us won't.
St. Leo University, a Catholic university based in Pasco County north of Tampa, surveyed a thousand Americans and found 54 percent don't plan to resolve to make any changes in 2020, almost twice as many as the 29 percent who say they will.
Among that 29 percent, about half have goals that include saving more money and losing weight, according to St. Leo.
Dr. Christopher Wolfe, an assistant professor of psychology at St. Leo, doesn't think the lack of New Year's resolutions means people have given up on self-improvement.
“We start new things all the time – whenever the next trend goes viral,” Wolfe said.
One way to approach resolutions suggested by Dr. Wolfe is an "accounting holiday."
"We would be encouraged to look back at our resolutions and see what progress we’ve endured...We should treat it like a second Christmas, where everyone gets together and shares their struggles or successes, and we give each other little gifts based on what that person is working on."
Wolfe says having a set day to give each other social connection and support for changes in behavior would help to turn resolutions into realities.
Interestingly, Wolfe says 42 percent of those aged 18-34 plan to make new year's resolutions, compared with 22 percent of middle aged adults and 10 percent of seniors.
Listen to an interview with Dr. Wolfe:
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