Less stress - according to a survey commissioned by DAK-Gesundheit, this wish for the coming year is more widespread than ever.

67 percent of respondents said they want to avoid or reduce stress in 2023.

In the also representative surveys of the previous years since 2011, this value had fluctuated around 60 percent.

The second most important resolution for 2023 is the desire to spend more time with family and friends and to behave in a more environmentally and climate-friendly manner.

64 percent of those surveyed by the opinion research institute Forsa said so.

Particularly popular resolutions are doing more sport (61 percent), taking more time for yourself (54) and eating healthier (53).

Significantly more people than in the previous year announced their intention to live more economically.

40 percent of those surveyed - 11 percentage points more than in 2021 - said they wanted to tighten their belts.

Only about every third study participant wants to eat less meat in the new year (34), lose weight (33) and spend less time on the cell phone or computer (31).

Watching less television (20), drinking less alcohol (16) and quitting smoking (9) are at the bottom of the list of most popular resolutions.

Cell phone and computer fasting

DAK-Gesundheit considers it remarkable that the desire to spend less time on the mobile phone or computer has been expressed more and more frequently in the surveys over the past five years.

In 2017, only 17 percent of those surveyed made this resolution, now - after more than two years with a lot of work in the home office, home schooling and online shopping - it is 31 percent.

It was said that 63 percent of 14 to 29 year olds had this wish.

The health insurance company explained that it wanted to support the most important wish of its policyholders for less stress - with anti-stress coaching via a mobile phone app.

How can that work?

Things that you plan to do should best be built into your everyday routine, said the psychologist and author Stefanie Stahl of the German Press Agency.

An example: Always jogging on the same day at the same time.

However, it is more difficult with activities that one wants to refrain from - such as smoking.

"If I go jogging twice a week, it's limited in time.

But no more smoking, I have that 24 hours a day and seven days a week.” These are then “small decisions that are made again and again” – and that costs more energy.

The big advantage of "the omission things" is that the brain got used to it at some point.

"And then it doesn't cost any more energy," said Stahl.

She also recommends “not taking too big steps” when making resolutions.

In her opinion, however, many New Year's resolutions are doomed to failure: "Because they are decided far too rationally and don't really come from within," said Stahl.

"Because if they're really coming from within then I don't need an anniversary and I don't wait until January 1st.

Then I can start right away.”

The Forsa Institute surveyed 1001 people in Germany between November 11th and 18th for the health insurance company.

Multiple entries were possible.