Katherine Milkman and colleagues analyzed online searches for diets and gym attendance records. Good intentions spiked after every “fresh start”: New Year, but also the start of a week or month, after a birthday or a holiday. These landmarks let us file past failures under an “old me” and begin again.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.