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The Psychology Behind ‘New Year’s Hype’ as a Black Woman
While it’s good to set goals, sometimes we fall short of giving ourselves enough credit as is
As 2019 draws to a close, I see more posts on my Twitter newsfeed with reminders that there are less than 90 days in the year and it’s time to “finish with a bang.” For some reason, these intended motivational challenges make me feel an urgency to do something major — even though I’ve hit major milestones this year already.
To name a few, I’ve landed my first byline in the New York Times, quit my job to start freelance writing full-time, increased my freelance income 10 times from the previous year, and secured my first speaking engagement. So why do I still feel the need to hustle and reach yet another big goal before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2019?
Most of us have heard by now that more than 80% of our New Year’s resolutions will fail a mere 30 days into the new year, but there is less data on how the social peer pressure to “finish with a bang” impacts Black women, who are often working to be “twice as good” as their White and male counterparts year-round.
In recent years, Black women are starting businesses and obtaining degrees at a higher rate than other demographic groups. With that in mind, the constant stream of memes and advice to go even harder before 2020 can be daunting to the many Black women who have been crushing goals all throughout 2019. After all, rushing to meet society-imposed time constraints is unlikely to alleviate the burnout many of us are already feeling.
Dr. Franco says this time can sometimes serve as a symbol of freedom and hope for minorities, women, and other marginalized groups who regularly face oppression.
While I always thought my own insecurities were behind this triggered reaction when it comes to what I call “New Year’s hype,” it turns out it could actually be a by-product of aspiration (level) theory. I learned about this theory when speaking to Dr. Marisa Franco, counseling psychology PhD and relationship researcher. Aspiration theory, as Dr. Franco explained, is a psychological theory…
