By Elvisa Durmic, Senior Director, Customer Success, Suzy

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Welcome to the 10-Day Delusion

Every January, I become a different person. 

Or at least, I think I do. On December 31st, I prep my blender for kale smoothies, start a journal about mindful living, swear I’ll master gentle parenting, and promise to stop shopping for things I definitely don’t need.

By January 10th, the blender is a margarita mixer, the journal’s a coaster, my gentle-parenting era ended after one public tantrum, and I’m tracking a package I don’t remember ordering.

And I’m not alone. According to Forbes Health, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Every year, millions of us transform briefly into delusional optimists – convinced that this is the year we’ll outsmart our own psychology.

But here’s the thing: the same forces that tank our resolutions also drive consumer behavior. Understanding why humans do what we do – even when we know better – is exactly what market research uncovers.

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Resolution Season: A case study in human delusion

New Year’s resolutions are basically brand campaigns we run on ourselves. Every January 1st, we rebrand with startling confidence:

• New logo: upgraded planner, color-coded with hope.
• New messaging: “This is my year.”
• New product promise: “I will be calm, centered, and shop only for essentials.”

But like under-researched brand launches, our personal campaigns fail for the same reasons: we skip the insights. We don’t test our messaging. We don’t assess whether our goals fit our actual habits. We build a campaign for who we wish we were – not who we are.

That gap between intention and reality – the intention-action gap – explains a lot about human behavior.

It’s why shoppers swear they’ll cut spending, then fall for a “limited-time offer.” It’s why we promise to eat better, then meet DoorDash halfway.

It’s not personal failure. It’s psychology. And brands face it too. The smarter ones use insights to close the gap – between what people say and what they do.

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The generational spin: How we all fail differently

Everyone fails at resolutions – just in their own beautifully predictable way.

Gen Z

• Resolution: “Be offline more.”
• Action: Announces this plan on TikTok and checks the comments. 
• What brands need to know: Gen Z treats resolutions as public performance. Their goals are about identity and authenticity – being perceived as real. They crave self-improvement but want it to look effortless. Brands connecting with this group need to understand that they’re motivated by belonging and social proof. Gen Z wants to see progress they can post, share, and celebrate.

Millennials

• Resolution: “Get financially responsible.”
• Action: Venmos $62 for “brunch therapy” and buys a candle called January Reset.
• What brands need to know: Millennials approach resolutions like they approach wellness – with sincere effort and a side of exhaustion. They juggle careers, caregiving, and chronic comparison. They’re optimistic but tired, pragmatic yet indulgent. For brands, this means messaging that blends aspiration with empathy – “You’re doing great, and here’s an easier way.”

Gen X

• Resolution: None.
• Action: They’ve lived through too many Januaries to fall for this again.
• What brands need to know: Gen X knows better – they’ve seen the rise and fall of every trend and fitness fad. They’re practical and skeptical, drawn to function over flash. Their loyalty runs deep, but they value straight talk. For marketers, Gen X is the audience that appreciates transparency and brands that respect their time.

Boomers

• Resolution: “Time to start fresh!”
• Action: Buys new golf clubs and calls it “investing in wellness.”
• What brands need to know:  Boomers see resolutions as an opportunity to reinvest in themselves – not to reinvent. They prize quality, longevity, and experiences that make life richer. They’re also surprisingly digital-savvy, adopting technology that supports comfort and connection. Brands that win with Boomers meet them where practicality and pleasure intersect.

Across generations, the motivations differ – but the outcome is the same: good intentions meet real life. And that’s why insights matter. Through Suzy Speaks, our AI-moderated conversational surveys, marketers can literally hear consumers across generations explain their choices – in their own tone, language, and emotion. Because whether it’s resolutions or retail, the story always lives in the “why.”

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What market research knows (that your resolution doesn’t)

Market research has cracked one universal truth: people don’t always know why they do what they do. We make decisions emotionally, rationalize them later, and confidently rewrite the story to make ourselves sound reasonable. (I absolutely needed that sweater. It was charcoal. I didn’t have charcoal yet.)

That’s where Suzy Speaks comes in.

Suzy Speaks combines the quantitative speed of traditional research – to measure what people say they want – with the qualitative depth of real human conversation – to uncover what truly drives them. Powered by AI, it lets brands hear authentic consumer motivations in real time, in their own words, tone, and emotion.

It’s like giving your audience a safe space to tell the truth about their decisions – why they quit your app, switched brands, or bought something wildly off-budget at 1:47 a.m.

Imagine if gyms used Suzy Speaks to ask former members why they quit: they’d hear about crowded spaces, awkward sales pitches, inconvenient class times, and treadmills that judge you silently. And with that kind of feedback, they might actually build something people stick with past February.

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The psychology behind why we fail

Resolutions – and consumer decisions – collapse for the same three reasons:

• Optimism bias: We believe “future us” is superhuman – a calm parent, a morning jogger, a salad enthusiast. Spoiler: future us is just current us, only more tired.

• Present bias: We choose comfort over progress. It’s why gentle parenting vanishes after two sleepless nights and why “no shopping” collapses at the sight of a 30%-off email.

• Habit anchoring: Our routines run the show. If stress-shopping or late-night scrolling is your norm, willpower alone won’t fix it – you have to redesign your environment to make the better choice the easier one. Changing behavior requires structure, not just strength.

These biases explain not just personal failures but consumer ones too. They’re why friction kills conversions, why loyalty endures, and why insights matter

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Why brands should care about resolution dysfunction

Here’s the twist: the same psychology that derails your resolutions drives your customers all year long:

• The optimism that sells gym memberships also fuels subscription sign-ups.
• The present bias that ruins diets also explains abandoned carts.
• The habit anchoring that breaks “new me” goals also drives brand loyalty – even when a competitor’s better.
  

The best brands don’t fight human nature – they study it. They use platforms like Suzy to uncover real motivations, behaviors, and friction points, then design for the messy, emotional reality of consumers. 

Because marketing to the January 1st version of your customer – their most idealized self – is a great way to waste money. But marketing to the January 10th version – the real, complicated human – is where the magic happens.

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The better way forward

Your resolutions might not make it to February. Your gentle-parenting goals might fade by week two. Your “no shopping” streak might end the moment you drive past your favorite store. But you can still learn from it – and that’s what market research does. It studies what people really do, not what they aspire to do. It turns messy, honest behavior into usable insight.

Insights don’t judge. They don’t shame. They simply say: “Okay, this is who they are. Now build for that person.” That’s how brands win. And honestly, it’s how people grow.

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Conclusion: Why insights always win

Resolutions fail because they’re built on hope, not data. Consumers behave the same way – saying one thing, doing another, and fully meaning well while falling off the wagon with remarkable speed.

But brands don’t have to. With the right insights, you can:

• Anticipate behavior
• Understand motivation
• Bridge the intention-action gap
• Design products and messages that resonate with real people
  

Not the January-1st superhero version – the January-10th human one.

As for me? I stopped making New Year’s resolutions years ago. I know myself too well. Instead, I make birthday resolutions – things I want to manifest for the next year of my life. They’re smaller, personal, and far more honest: a new parenting goal, a career milestone, maybe just remembering to put my phone down after 9 p.m.

They don’t always stick either – but they’re mine. And every year, I learn something new from the process.

Because whether you’re chasing career growth, calmer mornings, or the mythical inbox zero, one truth remains: Intentions make us feel inspired – but insights help us actually change. And that’s exactly where Suzy shines.

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