The secret to resolutions

Men are better than women at fulfilling New Year’s resolutions and goal-setting. Richard Fitzpatrick finds out why

Men tend to be better than women at fulfilling New Year’s resolutions. According to a study by Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, who followed 2,000 people who made a two-week resolution, only 30% of women succeeded, compared with 37% of men. Men, it seems, are a bit better at goal-setting.

Holding to your guns with a New Year’s resolution — whether it’s losing weight or giving up the dreaded weed — for either sex ain’t easy. In the book, Willpower, which was written by Roy F Baumeister, the authors cited a survey of more than one million people from around the world who were asked to rank their greatest personal strength from a list of 24 qualities, including self-control, bravery, modesty, kindness.