Mysteries of the Mind | Episode #21 | “Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work”

New years resolutions don’t work because, as much as we might have a conscious wish to change, we have an unconscious wish to stay the same.  The power of our unconscious minds rests in our commitment to safety. Changing is threatening to us, and we get in our own way in order to lessen that threat.  A belief in the power of the unconscious mind flies in the face of our culture’s obsession with neurobiology and with the alleged freedom of choice that we’re all supposed to have.