It is that time of the year when many people are coming out of a short break they had taken to enjoy the holiday season, and of course, make that New Year resolution. Though COVID-19 put a damper on gatherings and festivities, there is no reason to drop that traditional new-year resolution.
A new study reveals that rather than aspire to set lofty goals — to be more trimmer or smarter or more successful from the new year, which most people invariably abandon after the first week of a year — it would be much more satisfying and perhaps, most needed, since we are in the middle of a pandemic, to set goals that involve giving to others.
A study by two clinical psychologists at the University of Rochester in the United States and Australian Catholic University shows that if we can set goals that aim to help others, those kinds of goals will, in turn, also add to our own well-being and happiness. The suggestion by the scientists follows nearly four decades of research and development of the Self-determination Theory (SDT), which is today a widely accepted framework for the study of human motivation and personality.
The Self-determination Theory centers on the idea that all humans have the natural tendency to behave in effective and healthful ways. Acts of willingly helping others satisfy all three of the basic psychological needs identified in SDT research: the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Autonomy in this context means that you can engage in activities in which you feel true volition and find personal value. Competence means feeling effective and having a sense of accomplishment. Finally, relatedness means working with and feeling connected to others.
If you want to make a New Year’s resolution that really makes you happy, think about the ways in which you can contribute to the world. All three of these basic needs are fulfilled. The research shows it is not just good for the world but also really good for you.