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Taking Chances - Second Interdisciplinary Short Movie Night

“Hoping,
Longing,
Trying“

A cinema evening by and for neuroscientists and film scholars

When: 13. May, 5-9 pm, c.t.
Where: endstation.kino, Wallbaumweg 108, 44894 Bochum
Entrance: free
Registration not available anymore

Look forward to fantastic short films from the repertoire of the Short Film Festival Oberhausen and stimulating impulses from film and neuroscientists, in short: to a very special film experience at Bahnhof Langendreer. Those who make the journey are guests of the SFB 1280 and are welcome to stay longer for an exchange of ideas in the lab. Please register via the link above. We would like to thank the Short Film Festival Oberhausen, the Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology Magdeburg (LIM) and the Institute of Media Studies (IFM) of the RUB for their cooperation!

You can look forward to these short films:

Ein Wunder | Stanislaw Mucha | 10 Minutes
FragMANts | Neozoon | 6 Minutes
ON DEMAND | Eugenia Lim | 14 Minutes
Living a Beautiful Life | Corinna Schnitt | 13 Minutes
En el espejo del cielo | Carlos Salces | 10 Minutes
Timecode | Juanjo Gimenez | 15 Minutes
Don’t (Musikvideo mit Sandra Hüller) | Daniel Freitag | 4 Minutes
Juck | Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira | 18 Minutes

And to impulses from the following speakers:

Robert Dörre (IFM)
Natascha Frankenberg (IFM)
Bertram Gerber (LIM)
Onur Güntürkün (SFB 1280)
Carsten Spicher (Short Film Festival Oberhausen)
Marcella Woud (SFB 1280)

Impressions from the evening

New Year, New Me: The Facts

As the calendar turns to a new year, millions of people around the world commit to New Year’s resolutions, making promises to use the new year as a fresh beginning and an opportunity for transformation. In 2024, almost three-quarters of the British population set themselves New Year’s resolutions — that’s around 40 million people (or the entire population of Canada). This tradition was particularly strong among younger generations, with 96% of Generation Z (aged 18-27) planning resolutions, compared to just 35% of the Silent Generation (aged 79+).

Most common new years resolutions:

  1. Saving more money (52%)
  2. Eat healthier (50%)
  3. Exercise more (48%)
  4. Lose weight (37%)
  5. Spend more time with family/friends (35%)

How long do most resolutions normally last before being broken?

  • Data from America (2016) shows that 75% of individuals maintain their resolutions through the first week. 
  • 64% of individuals maintain their resolutions through the first month. 
  • 46% of individuals in America keep their resolutions past the 6-month mark.

What makes resolutions stick?

Oscarsson et al. (2020) conducted research into what makes New Year’s resolutions stick. Biggest success rates depended on how people phrased their goals. Participants who set approach-oriented goals (trying to move toward or maintain a desirable outcome or state) than those with avoidance-oriented goals (trying to move toward or maintain a desirable outcome or state) were significantly more successful (58.9% vs. 47.1%) at sticking to their goals.

The study also investigates the effects of outside support. These participants received monthly follow-ups and emails with information and exercises for coping with hurdles when striving toward personal goals, and were also encouraged to set goals using the SMART technique and to set interim goals. The group that received some support was exclusively and significantly more successful compared to the groups who received a lot of support or no support at all. 

Additionally, you might feel more successful if you set goals that are measurable in numbers. While success for a person striving to quit smoking or lose weight could easily be measured in the number of cigarettes smoked or body mass index, the success for a person striving to “take better care of themselves” could be highly subjective and possibly impossible to measure.

So as we enter 2026, let’s remember to work with our brain’s natural learning system: Frame your goals positively, break them into manageable steps, and celebrate small wins along the way.