The first few months after Christmas may seem like a daunting time to move house, especially when you have optimistically promised yourself another life change, such as keeping up a particular New Year’s resolution. However, psychologists have found that a big upheaval, like moving home, can create a window of opportunity where we are more open to new ideas and information and are therefore more likely to succeed in creating new positive ways of life for ourselves.
An environmental study,
Bath university, wanted to see if people would change their recycling behaviour and reduce energy use after moving to a new home. The physiologists looked at the environmentally friendly behaviour of 800 people, 50% of which had just moved to a new house.
All of the participants were also given a free reusable shopping bag containing sustainable products such as eco-washing liquid, vegetable and flower seeds, a bus timetable and a shower timer.
The study found the intervention was more effective at creating permanent behavioural change among those people who had recently moved house. When factors surrounding a regular habit change, such as a move to a new location, it influenced the participants to change that behaviour, this is called the ‘discontinuity effect’.
Habits develop when behaviours are repeated, they are then further reinforced when our surroundings stay the same.
Professor Bas Verplanken, from the University of Bath’s Department of Psychology, said: “Life transitions, such as moving house or changing jobs, present a real opportunity to influence the choices people make.
“Often, around the time of a major change, life can be up in the air and as such, we know that people are generally more open to new ideas and information.”
Speaking about the potential for stopping smoking at these times, Prof Verplanken added: “I think that would certainly be a possibility”.
Professor Bas Verplanken went on to explain that the ‘window of opportunity’ is limited, to a maximum of approximately three months. After which habits begin to get deep-rooted again and therefore become harder to break or change.
The perfect opportunity
So, think of your house move as an opportunity to make the most of your New Year’s resolutions, and look to coincide the changes to your lifestyle that you want to make with your moving dates. Contact us for all your moving boxes and essentials https://movingboxesdirect.co.uk/
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-environmental-psychology/