Have you made a New Year’s Resolution? If so, how long do you think it’ll last? Most resolutions end up being a losing battle. On this week’s episode of The Super Awesome Science Show, we pledge to get to the bottom of why resolutions don’t work and how that isn’t too far off from someone trying to kick a habit. 

First, we talk with Dr. Lalatendu Acharya at Purdue University. He studies consumer behaviour in health ranging from eating habits to HIV spread. He tells us that the Holiday season may be the reason for our inability to make a resolution work . We also may need more than just willpower to achieve our goals.

We next hear from Courtney Bir, a doctoral student at Purdue University. She’s studying how we lie to others to make ourselves look good. It’s known as social desirability bias and can stand in the way of making a resolution that is scientifically right as opposed to one that is socially acceptable.

In our SASS Class, we find out from Dr. Lizzy Pope at the University of Vermont how the grocery store may be our worst enemy when it comes to sticking to a diet. Her research has shown that while we may tend to buy healthier after the Holidays, the amount of the bad stuff remains the same.

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Twitter: @JATetro

Email: [email protected]

Guests:

Dr. Laltendu Acharya, Purdue University
Website: https://www.purdue.edu/hhs/csr/directory/faculty/acharya_lalatendu.html

Courtney Bir, Purdue University
Twitter: @courtney_bir
Website: https://ag.purdue.edu/agecon/Pages/GradStudents/birc.aspx

Dr. Lizzy Pope, University of Vermont
Twitter: @lizzypope
Website: https://www.uvm.edu/cals/nfs/profiles/lizzy_pope_phd_rd

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