Forget Willpower. Here’s The Real Secret To Long-Term Goal Success

ITHACA, N.Y. — New Year’s resolutions have become almost synonymous with failure. By mid-February, most people have already abandoned their ambitious goals to eat healthier, exercise more, or save money. Does it come down to laziness, lack of motivation, or something else? New research reveals the real reason why most resolutions fail.

The year-long study published in Psychological Science finds that people who stick to their resolutions share one surprising trait: they actually enjoy the process of pursuing their goals. While most people set resolutions based on their importance or usefulness, those who succeed are driven by something else entirely: they find the journey itself rewarding.

Researchers from Cornell University explain that intrinsic motivation stems from experiencing goal pursuit as an end in itself, where the benefits cannot be separated from the actual pursuit. In other words, successful resolution-keepers don’t just grit their teeth and push through the discomfort. They discover ways to make the process genuinely enjoyable.

This finding turns popular wisdom about willpower and discipline on its head. Instead, the research shows that people who maintain their resolutions throughout the year are those who manage to find immediate satisfaction in their efforts, not just in the distant outcomes they hope to achieve.

How Scientists Tracked Resolution Success for an Entire Year

Researchers followed 2,000 Americans throughout an entire year, checking in with participants every four months to track their progress on New Year’s resolutions. At the start of the year, participants listed their primary resolution and rated how much they enjoyed pursuing it versus how important they considered the goal.

Results showed that people consistently rated their resolutions as more important than enjoyable, meaning they chose goals primarily because they mattered, not because they were fun. However, those who stuck with their resolutions throughout the year were distinguished by higher levels of enjoyment from the very beginning.

The research found that participants were more motivated by external factors (average score 6.27 out of 7) than by internal enjoyment (average score 5.41 out of 7). Yet enjoyment proved to be the stronger predictor of long-term success.

Consider two people trying to establish a running habit. One runs primarily for long-term health benefits, while another discovers they genuinely enjoy the meditative quality of their morning jogs and the sense of accomplishment after each run. The second person is far more likely to still be running months later.

Why the Research Goes Beyond American Culture

To ensure their findings weren’t limited to American culture or dependent on people’s subjective assessments, the researchers expanded their investigation. They replicated the study with 500 participants in China during Chinese New Year, finding the same pattern: enjoyment predicted goal adherence more strongly than importance.

Moving beyond self-reported measures, researchers tracked actual daily step counts of 439 people who had goals to walk more. Again, those who found walking more inherently enjoyable walked significantly more steps than those primarily motivated by health benefits.

Most compelling evidence came from an experimental study where researchers actually manipulated people’s motivation. They had 763 participants download a health app that scans product barcodes. Half were encouraged to view the app as a game with product discoveries, while the other half were told it provided useful product information.

Those in the game-focused condition scanned 26% more products over the following 24 hours than those in the information-focused condition. This experiment provided crucial evidence that increasing enjoyment actually causes better goal adherence.

The Psychology Behind Why Fun Beats Willpower

Researchers offer a compelling explanation for why enjoyment proves more powerful than importance in sustaining long-term behavior change. Goals based on importance rely on delayed benefits, the promise of better health, financial security, or professional success somewhere in the future. But humans naturally discount future rewards, making them less motivating as time passes.

Enjoyable goals deliver immediate rewards. When someone finds their goal pursuit inherently satisfying, they receive payoffs right away, not just eventually. This creates a self-reinforcing cycle that sustains motivation over time.

Particularly intriguing was the researchers’ finding about people’s beliefs regarding their own motivation. In a follow-up study, participants were asked what would better predict goal adherence: importance or enjoyment. Most people chose importance, indicating they don’t fully understand what actually drives their own long-term behavior.

This misunderstanding may lead people to set themselves up for failure. If someone believes willpower and commitment are what matter most, they’re less likely to focus on making their goal pursuit enjoyable. They might choose the most efficient workout rather than the most fun one, or the most nutritious meal plan rather than one with foods they actually like eating.

How to Make Your Goals More Enjoyable and Sustainable

Research findings have practical applications for anyone trying to make lasting changes. Rather than focusing solely on why a goal matters, people might benefit from actively cultivating enjoyment in the process. This could mean finding a form of exercise that feels more like play than work, discovering cooking techniques that make healthy eating pleasurable, or creating reward systems that make savings goals more engaging.

For policymakers and organizations trying to promote behavior change, the research indicates that interventions should emphasize the immediate, enjoyable benefits of desired behaviors rather than just their long-term consequences. Public health campaigns might be more effective highlighting how physical activity can be fun and stress-relieving today, not just beneficial for preventing disease decades later.

Research also offers hope for the millions of people who have repeatedly failed at resolutions or behavior change attempts. The problem may not be a lack of willpower or commitment, but rather a failure to tap into the rewards that make persistence possible.

For the millions of Americans who will set resolutions this coming New Year, the message is clear: choose goals that can become genuinely enjoyable to pursue. The path to lasting change isn’t paved with grit and determination alone, but with the simple human capacity to find joy in the process of becoming better.