Self Improvement Might Sound Healthy. But There’s a Downside to Wanting to Change

Ours is a culture that values change. Millions of Americans set resolutions each winter and buy self-help books year round.

But a new study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science finds there's also value in aiming to stay the same. People who imagine staying fairly constant over the years may have more satisfying lives than those who think they'll grow to be different, according to the study.

Ours is a culture that values change. Millions of Americans set resolutions each winter and buy self-help books year round. But a new study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science finds there's also value in aiming to stay the same. People who imagine staying fairly constant over the years may have more satisfying lives than those who think they'll grow to be different, according to the study.