Negation Weakens Intent

Welcome to the weekly communal Schauer, today we’re discussing the history of new year’s resolutions as well as the neuroscience of making them stick. You might be wondering “why is she taking so long on the phrasing of these goals?” That’s a wonderful question *hypothetical* listener and the answer to that is because how you speak to yourself does matter. Decisions are changes, they are pivots - pivots are a rapid change in direction that, if not taken carefully or under control, can cause significant strain and even injury. “But that’s muscle strain” - yes, however cognitive strain is also real and can cause you to fear pivots and change in the future. We’re taking this slow, step by step, because I’m talking about how to make things stick (grip) so the pivot feels solid and stable!

Thank you all for making this year absolutely fabulous, I would not be where I am without all y’all’s (2nd person possessive plural pronoun btw) support and feedback. I’m wishing everyone a happy holidays, happy new year, and just a general sense of happiness as it’s very much needed.

Go easy on yourselves, you got this.

Free and affordable book and audiobook options (scroll down to bottom of Substack post)

 https://substack.com/home/post/p-181291076 

Resources: 

What We Value: The Neuroscience of Choice and Change - Emily Falk

The Science of Nutrition: Debunk the Diet Myths and Learn How to Eat Well for Health and Happiness - Rhiannon Lambert

The History of New Year’s Resolutions

https://www.history.com/articles/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions

Millennials most likely to make 2026 resolutions over other generations: survey 

https://nypost.com/2025/12/08/lifestyle/millennials-most-likely-to-make-2026-resolutions-over-other-generations-survey/

The Neuroscience of Goals & Behavior Change

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5854216/

How Does “Not” Affect What We Understand? Scientists Find Negation Mitigates Our Interpretation of Phrases

https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2024/may/how-does--not--affect-what-we-understand--scientists-find-negati.html

Acute Stress Impairs Inhibitory Control based on Individual Differences in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5448703/

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