Noteworthy.

• Position: Newsview

New Year's resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, or work on relationships often become distant memories within a few days or weeks. Why are such resolutions so hard to keep? According to David Self, associate professor of psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, most people don't work on the new behavior long enough for it to become a habit. "Once you learn a habit, it's not easy to unlearn it" he says.

Holiday office parties are a time to celebrate, but use common sense, suggests Gary Blau, professor of human resource administration, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa. "Office parties are a chance to be informal and offer a real opportunity to get to know your supervisor and coworkers in an off-the-job kind of way" However, "You do have to keep your personal boundaries up to a degree. There's always that danger that something inappropriate could happen," such as having too much to drink and engaging in unwanted touching or other offensive behavior.

Parental involvement is critical to student success, particularly among ethnic minority students and recent immigrants, says Stephanie N. Robinson, professor of educational studies, Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. In a study, she found that it provides a sense of continuity between school and home life by lowering resistance to school norms, promoting positive images of the institution within the community, and decreasing the likelihood of misunderstandings.

Why are men slow to commit? According to the National Marriage Project, the top three reasons are: They can easily get sex without marriage; they can enjoy the...