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Psychologist reveals 5 evidence-based tips for helping New Year’s resolutions stick

Each New Year’s Eve, millions of us have the annual urge to change our ways, make a fresh start, form new habits or otherwise transform into a better version of ourselves.

The problem is many of us kick off the new year with all the good intentions, only to be derailed from our goals after a few weeks—or even a few days. It’s disheartening to make New Year’s resolutions each year and fail at keeping them, but creating new habits is a notoriously difficult thing for humans to do.

Is there a foolproof way to stick with a New Year’s resolution? Probably not. But there are some science-backed ways to make it more likely that you’ll stick with whatever you want to achieve.


Dr. Mark Jellicoe, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at The University of Law in the U.K. who specializes in resilience and self-regulation, says that there are many reasons why people struggle to achieve goals. “Often goals can be too vague, or, in reality, the resolution might be a wish that we are just not that committed to,” he says.

If there are goals you really do want to achieve this year, Jellicoe shares five evidence-based tips for sticking to them:

1. Go ahead and ‘manifest,’ but understand what works about it

“Manifesting”—the idea being that if you envision something strongly enough and live as if it’s happening, it will happen—has been all the rage for the past few years.

“Some may be sad to hear this, but I’m not aware of any direct evidence to suggest manifesting will help to achieve a goal,” says Jellicoe. “However, there are several supported scientific approaches, which could be ascribed to the ‘manifesting’ approach. It makes sense that if we orient ourselves towards an outcome then we might be more motivated to achieve it, which would invoke the patterns of thinking and behavioral beliefs to help us do this.”

Jellicoe points out that people need to get tactical, whatever vision they have for themselves. “Don’t abandon all hope if you feel manifesting works for you,” he says, “just be sure to back it up with some solid goal-setting practice. Manifesting isn’t a magic bullet.”

2. Be strategic about who you share your goals with.

When we’re excited about making change, we might be eager to tell people about it. We might even feel like we’ll be more likely to achieve our goals if we share them with others.

“There are some schools of thought that suggest speaking your goal out loud or sharing it with others creates a sense of accountability,” says Jellicoe. “However, there is growing evidence that would suggest doing this can be detrimental.”

“Scientific evidence also suggests that the mere act of telling someone about our goal, and the congratulations or encouragement we receive, might lead to us deceiving ourselves that we have already achieved the goal, and as a result, we fail to move to the implementation stage,” adds Jellicoe. “This has led to some advising that we don’t tell others our goals.”

3. Be proactive and deliberate about goal-setting.

Setting goals sounds simple enough, but people in general are not very good at the mechanics of setting goals and working toward them.

“There are a couple of solid, research-backed approaches to goal-setting,” says Jellico. “Many of us will have heard of the SMART approach, which encapsulates some of these key ideas, where goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. This isn’t a bad place to start, but there are arguments that even well-set goals may not lead us to strive towards the outcome.”

Jellicoe suggests adding the WOOP model of goal-setting, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. “This approach encourages us to think about the reality of our situation and the likely obstacles that come between us and our ultimate goals, so we can plan ways to overcome them,” he says. “Pairing this with the SMART approach so you can monitor your progress could lead to success.”

4. Get to know your personality type and how it affects goal-setting

Jellicoe lists five well-supported personality factors using the acronym OCEAN: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (now often referred to as “low emotional stability”). These factors can influence how you approach goals and what might help you achieve them.

“This is a vast topic with lots to explore,” he says, “but one example would be those who are more conscientious typically tend to be more planful and organized—naturally this often leads to a higher likelihood of seeing goals through. This same personality, however, may also be more likely to stick with a goal even when circumstances change that make that goal no longer relevant.”

Jellicoe suggests learning more about your personality type online to gain a better understanding of yourself and your tendencies. “This understanding could give you a good grounding in learning how to adapt your strategies,” he says.

5. Utilize the power of small, clustered goals.

“Regardless of the resolution you set yourself, achieving small, clustered goals along the way could be crucial in building confidence and motivation to keep working towards your desired outcome,” says Jellicoe.

An example of this method is the ‘Couch to 5K’ challenge in which people start with running just a minute at a time, adding a little bit of running time each day. With small new goals being continually set, you find yourself able to run a 5K within just a couple of months.

“Often this approach to goal-setting can have a positive upward spiral into other areas of our lives too, such as health and wellbeing,” adds Jellicoe.

Whatever goals you want to achieve in 2023—or even if you don’t want to set resolutions at all—be kind to yourself as you enter the new year.

“This time of year can be stressful for so many of us, and we all have our own reasons for that. Any milestone event can bring about a mixture of positive and negative emotions,” says Jellicoe. “Like with any milestone—think birthdays or anniversaries—the new year can also be a time for reflection and renewal. At this time of year, many of us also have the time and space to engage in reflection, so it might be a good time to reflect, accept and move forward.”

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Eye-opening video shows why 80 percent of Americans live east of this line

Have you ever wondered why the eastern half of the United States is densely populated while everything west of Omaha, save for a few metro areas, is no man’s land?

Most people would assume that it’s because people first settled in the east and moved west. Or, they may believe it’s because of the vast desert that takes up most of the southwest. Those are some decent reasons, but it’s a much more complicated issue than you’d imagine.

A 20-minute video by RealLifeLore explains how topography and rainfall have created what appears to be a straight line down the middle of the country on the 98th meridian that dictates population density. Eighty percent of Americans live on the east side of the line and just twenty percent to the west.


RealLifeLore is a YouTube channel that focuses on geography and topography created by Joseph Pisenti.

In the video, we see that several large cities border the American frontier—San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Omaha, Lincoln, Sioux Falls and Fargo, as well as Winnipeg up in Canada. To the west of those cities? Not much until you reach western California and the Pacific Northwest.

Why? Watch:

The major reason why the population drastically changes is rainfall. It rains much more on the east side of the line versus the west. The reason for the drastic change in rainfall is that the Rocky Mountains create a colossal wall known as a rain shadow that prevents moisture from passing from the Pacific Ocean. This has created a large swath of dry land that’s not conducive to larger populations.

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Britney Spears’ Husband Sam Asghari Shuts Down Claims That He Controls Her Social Media

Britney Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari, is once again setting the record straight about his relationship with the pop star. Specifically, Asghari recently spoke in regards to Spears’ social media after fan theories ran rampant on TikTok — with most worried for the singer’s wellbeing.

“I don’t even control what we have for dinner,” Asghari told photographers, according to Just Jared. “In the past, there has been a lot of stuff going on so I understand where they’re coming from. They’re just being protective. If anything they’re being good fans.”

He also previously spoke about his wife’s decision to post risqué selfies, following the dissolution of her conservatorship. “The only person in the world that gets bullied for posting things like this,” he shared on an Instagram story. “I personally preferred she never posted these but who am I to control someone that’s been under a microscope and been controlled for most of her life.”

Over the past month, fans had been concerned that Spears was missing after the singer posted she was going to NYC and no paparazzi photos existed. There were also claims that her voice was being edited. The rumors were fueled by Perez Hilton, who admitted that “concern was warranted.”

However, Spears and Asghari’s June wedding had Selena Gomez, Madonna, Drew Barrymore, and more as guests — who aren’t publicly expressing concern for Spears as people clearly closest to her.

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Zacari Reflects On A ‘Restless’ LA Journey On His New Single

The Top Dawg crew has had an incredible year. With incredible releases from Kendrick Lamar, Doechii, SZA, and Ab-Soul, TDE once again proved itself as one of the strongest labels in hip-hop. To close out the year, TDE’s R&B star Zacari has released a new single called “Restless.”

On the piano-and-string-driven ballad, Zacari reflects on his time in Los Angeles. Over the years, he’s maintained a love-hate relationship with the city, but now, it seems as though he’s ready to move on.

“Leaving downtown LA / This street only goes one way / It’s a dead end, this street only goes one way / That’s why I get restless, restless, restless / Keep the incense burning restless, restless, restless,” he sings.

Zacari teased the single on Instagram saying, “Closing the DTLA chapter of my life.”

Zacari has been an R&B force among the TDE crew since 2017, when he featured on Kendrick Lamar’s “LOVE” from his third major-label album, DAMN. He has since released two EPs, Run Wild Run Free in 2019, and Sol in 2021. While we’re not sure what the post-DTLA chapter of Zacari’s life will entail, it appears that a full-length album from Zacari may be on the horizon for 2023.

In the meantime, you can listen to “Restless” above.

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Future Is The Only Rapper To Chart On The ‘Billboard’ Hot 100 For The Entire Year

It pays to be prolific. With over a decade in the game, Future continues to accomplish remarkable feats. This past April, he released his ninth studio album, I Never Liked You, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. But even before the album dropped, he had been cranking out features left and right, beginning in January, with Gunna and Young Thug’s “Pushin’ P.

Between his album cuts and features, Future earned himself spots on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the entire course of 2022. His work has made him the only rapper to chart on the Hot 100 all year long.

Over the past 10 years, Future has made over 150 entries on the Hot 100. Many of the entries came before the charting eligibility requirements included streaming. In a recent interview with Billboard, Future revealed that he can duplicate this feat in less time.

“It’s like I became a different person,” he said. “I don’t even think about it no more. Like, that’s who I am. It’s just all a part of the story. It’s all a part of just being that artist. I can’t think about the number, because I’m still doing it the best. I think I’m going to pass [my Hot 100 stat] faster than I did 155, [or] whatever it is. I think I can get to that number [in] less years. If it took me six years to do that, I can do that in two years now just because of the time [and] the streams on songs.”

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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LeBron James Celebrated His 38th Birthday By Going For A Season-High 47 Points Against The Hawks

LeBron James is still very, very good at basketball. Despite celebrating his 38th birthday on Friday, James led the Los Angeles Lakers into Atlanta for a matchup with the flailing Hawks and put forth his best performance of the 2022-23 campaign. By the time the game reached its conclusion, Los Angeles picked up a 130-121 win to move to 15-21 on the year, thanks in large part to the singular brilliance of their Hall of Fame forward.

James scored 47 points, his best scoring output this season, on an ultra-efficient 18-for-27 shooting while connecting on four of his six attempts from behind the three-point line. He reeled in 10 rebounds, and narrowly missed out on his first triple-double of the year by doling out nine assists. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the performance made James the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 45 points at age 38 or older.

Immediately after the game ended, Kevin Durant took to Twitter to praise James’ effort.

The win for L.A. came with Anthony Davis on the sideline, as James’ All-Star running mate is expected to be sidelined for at least the next few weeks due to a stress injury in his foot. Next up for James and the Lakers is a trip to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on Jan. 2.

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John Cena Returned To WWE To Team Up With Kevin Owens And Beat Sami Zayn And Roman Reigns

After more than a year away from WWE, John Cena made his return alongside Kevin Owens to defeat Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns on the last Smackdown of 2022.

Zayn and Owens started things off before Sami tagged in the Tribal Chief to square off with the Prize Fighter. As the crowd chanted, “We want Cena,” Reigns laid out Owens to keep Cena out of action. After dropping Owens with the Superman Punch, Reigns attempted a spear, but went right through into the steel post. Owens made the hot tag to Cena as Reigns tagged in Zayn.

Cena laid out Reigns and Zayn, tagged in Owens and then landed the Five-Knuckle Shuffle on Reigns and Zayn at the same time. After Cena dropped Reigns with the Attitude Adjustment, Owens put down Zayn with a stunner before crawling over for the pinfall and the victory.

Owens has spent much of the past few months feuding with Reigns and the Bloodline, and ends 2022 with a big win. Cena last wrestled on television against Roman Reigns, when he dropped his Universal title tilt at SummerSlam 2021 in Las Vegas. The loss by Reigns was the first of 2022 since dropping a disqualification to Seth Rollins at the Royal Rumble all the way back in January. Regardless of the result, Reigns’ 800-plus day reign continues into 2023 with no real end in sight.

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Charlotte Flair Returned To Win The WWE Smackdown Women’s Title From Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey’s 84-day reign atop the WWE Smackdown Women’s division is over. Seconds after defeating Raquel Rodriguez to retain the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship, Rousey was surprised by a returning Charlotte Flair.

Rousey mocked Flair on the mic about her lengthy layoff, before Flair cut her off and challenged her for the belt.

Shortly after the bell rang, Flair dropped Rousey with a big boot to the face for the two count and laid out Shayna Baszler on the outside. Flair laid out Rousey with a spear, but Rousey moved into an arm bar attempt on Flair. Flair rolled Rousey over into a pinfall for the victory and became champion for the first time since dropping the belt at WrestleMania Backlash in May.

After spending most of 2022 on the sideline, Flair became a 14-time women’s champion with her victory over Rousey. There were some rumors and discussions around Flair’s impending return. Instead of waiting for something a little more on the nose and having her return for the Royal Rumble next month, WWE opting to trot Flair on the last Smackdown sends the blue brand into 2023 with a bang. With Flair, Bayley, and Becky Lynch all back in WWE, we’re only now waiting to see if Sasha Banks eventually returns to reunite the Four Horsewomen, although rumors indicate that she may be headed to NJPW in some capacity.

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Report: Cristiano Ronaldo Was ‘Very Close’ To Joining Sporting Kansas City Of MLS

Cristiano Ronaldo is heading to Saudi Arabia. After weeks of speculation about his next move following his contract with Manchester United getting terminated, the legendary Portuguese forward will join Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League on a record-setting deal that will pay him a reported $75 million a year, which will make the soon-to-be 38-year-old the most highly-paid player in world history.

Reports indicated for weeks this would be Ronaldo’s next move, and on Friday afternoon, the club revealed its new signing in a tweet.

“I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia,” Ronaldo said in a statement, per ESPN. “I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them help the Club to achieve success.”

There are multiple media reports that indicate Ronaldo wasn’t just looking at Saudi Arabia for his next move. According to Taylor Twellman of ESPN and Tom Bogert of MLS, Sporting Kansas City came “very close” to securing Ronaldo’s signature.

Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021 from Juventus after previously leaving the club in 2009 to join Real Madrid. After seeing his role change considerably under new manager Erik ten Hag this year, Ronaldo gave a now-infamous interview to Piers Morgan in which he was overly critical of numerous individuals at the club in November which sped up his departure.

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Paramore’s Hayley Williams Reveals She Doesn’t Want To Play Guitar Onstage Because Of Sexist Comments

We are just weeks away from Paramore‘s upcoming sixth studio album, This Is Why. To wrap up 2022 and lead into a promising 2023, Paramore’s lead vocalist paid a visit to Spotify’s Face to Face podcast alongside Wet Leg‘s Rhian Teasdale and hostess Hester Chambers.

During the interview, Teasdale admitted she often hears and reads misogynistic comments about her performances, “Like, ‘Oh she’s holding that guitar but she’s not actually playing it.’ When, for example, I am just not using my guitar but then I need to play it in the chorus or something, there will always be a comment like, ‘Girls shouldn’t play guitar, women shouldn’t play guitar,’ and it’s just — it’s so dated but it’s still there! And I just hate it so much and it’s so frustrating.”

Williams replied, sharing her own stories of sexism she’s faced throughout her career, and even admitted she doesn’t want to play guitar during live performances.

“I know those people so well, and I don’t even play guitar onstage,” Williams said. “I don’t even dare, because I love to play guitar but I don’t know if I could handle — man. I feel you so hard.”

“I just hate that people even need to point it out,” she continued. “I don’t really think about my gender at all, when we play music especially. It’s just not part of the picture. I’m trying to lean into femininity and empower that part of myself more in this era of my career, but do you ever get on stage and feel ‘other’? You feel like this alien thing that’s powerful and beautiful?”

You can stream the full episode below.

This Is Why is out 02/10/2023 via Atlantic Records. Pre-save it here.

Paramore is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.