New Year's Resolutions Should Be Communal

"Social-media influencers push self-improvement trends year-round: The spring has " glow up" challenges, as does the summer. Soon after, the high-discipline " Great Lock-In Challenge" and " Winter Arc" videos begin, many of them urging people to get ahead of the "new year, new me" crowd. Or you can attempt a slew of other self-betterment regimens, whenever the spirit calls."

"Many of these videos depict people minimizing distractions-such as, say, other people-to bicep-curl and matcha-drink their way to becoming "unrecognizable," mentally and physically, as some YouTubers put it. At the same time, many Americans appear to be losing interest in New Year's resolutions. One report from the social-media analytic company Brandwatch found that, in the days around January 1, mentions of resolutions fell 50 percent last holiday season when compared with the year prior."

Modern social-media-driven self-improvement trends promote continuous, individualized transformation year-round, with challenges like "glow up," "Great Lock-In Challenge," and "Winter Arc" encouraging people to hustle beyond calendar milestones. Many videos portray minimizing social distractions to pursue intense physical and mental change, while public mentions of New Year’s resolutions have declined sharply. Versions of resolutions date back about 4,000 years; in ancient Babylonia and Rome, people prayed together, repaid debts, and made pledges of good conduct tied to agricultural calendars and communal religious rituals. Letting communal New Year rituals fade may weaken reminders of interconnected personal and communal well-being.

Read at The Atlantic