Katy Milkman

you know in the middle of things and so actually i've done some research on something i call the fresh start effect this is with um heng chen dai who's down the street at ucla my former student and jason reese senior fellow at wharton and what we have have shown in our work is that there are certain moments that feel like a new beginning in life like when So one that you know about already.

you know in the middle of things and so actually i've done some research on something i call the fresh start effect this is with um heng chen dai who's down the street at ucla my former student and jason reese senior fellow at wharton and what we have have shown in our work is that there are certain moments that feel like a new beginning in life like when So one that you know about already.

New Year's or? Yes. Exactly right. Like you didn't need me to come here and tell you about any fancy science. You're like, yeah, I know about New Year's.

New Year's or? Yes. Exactly right. Like you didn't need me to come here and tell you about any fancy science. You're like, yeah, I know about New Year's.

Yeah. There are moments that feel like, like, OK, I'm turning a page.

Yeah. There are moments that feel like, like, OK, I'm turning a page.

Move to a new community. A new job.

Move to a new community. A new job.

You got it. Those are all fresh start moments. Actually, there's trivial ones too, but they can matter. Like the start of a new week can feel like a fresh start. That's true. You sort of sit down, you go into work maybe for the first time in a couple of days, you feel fresh at your desk, ready to sit and think about what are my priorities in a way that you wouldn't in the middle of a week.

You got it. Those are all fresh start moments. Actually, there's trivial ones too, but they can matter. Like the start of a new week can feel like a fresh start. That's true. You sort of sit down, you go into work maybe for the first time in a couple of days, you feel fresh at your desk, ready to sit and think about what are my priorities in a way that you wouldn't in the middle of a week.

start of a new month, following celebration of certain holidays, particularly the kind that we associate with fresh starts. So those are all moments when we feel like we've opened a new chapter. And we have a couple things that go on at those moments. One is that we feel like, okay,

start of a new month, following celebration of certain holidays, particularly the kind that we associate with fresh starts. So those are all moments when we feel like we've opened a new chapter. And we have a couple things that go on at those moments. One is that we feel like, okay,

This is a moment when I want to step back and think big picture about things because you recognize that there's that break point. You think actually about your life like you're a character in a book. The way we organize our memories and structure them, it's not linear completely. Instead, it's like the college years, the years playing sports, the years living in Boston, whatever they are.

This is a moment when I want to step back and think big picture about things because you recognize that there's that break point. You think actually about your life like you're a character in a book. The way we organize our memories and structure them, it's not linear completely. Instead, it's like the college years, the years playing sports, the years living in Boston, whatever they are.

that's how you structure your memories and and that means there's actually implications for the way you live your life because when you get to one of those chapter breaks that's when you do this big picture thinking interesting and you also tend to feel like your identity is shifting right so you like step into a new role as you you know i'm i'm turning 40 in the year ahead and that feels like a big break to me like i will be

that's how you structure your memories and and that means there's actually implications for the way you live your life because when you get to one of those chapter breaks that's when you do this big picture thinking interesting and you also tend to feel like your identity is shifting right so you like step into a new role as you you know i'm i'm turning 40 in the year ahead and that feels like a big break to me like i will be

in a different age category when i became a professor i vividly remember like that was a huge shift in my identity i felt like a different okay i have a different set of expectations and roles and ways i should dress and talk and that identity shift that can come even if it's something as as small as you know you're stepping into a new year and you feel like the new year new you you can look back and say well you know

in a different age category when i became a professor i vividly remember like that was a huge shift in my identity i felt like a different okay i have a different set of expectations and roles and ways i should dress and talk and that identity shift that can come even if it's something as as small as you know you're stepping into a new year and you feel like the new year new you you can look back and say well you know

Last year, my old job when I was a graduate student, I didn't manage to eat right. But that was the old me, and this is the new me. And so you feel the sense of optimism and disconnect from those past failures.

Last year, my old job when I was a graduate student, I didn't manage to eat right. But that was the old me, and this is the new me. And so you feel the sense of optimism and disconnect from those past failures.