Mindset•2026-01-19
Why You Quit Spanish Today (Jan 19): The Psychology of 'Blue Monday'
Glotta Team
5 min read
Read Time
Today is statistically the day most people quit their New Year's resolutions. It's not because you're lazy. It's because your Dopamine crashed. Here is the cure.
The "January 19" Cliff
If you woke up this morning feeling like you absolutely cannot do another Duolingo lesson... congratulations. You are normal.
Today is January 19. Statistically, it is known as "Blue Monday" or "Quitter's Day."
Data from Strava (the fitness app) and various habit trackers shows that 90% of New Year's Resolutions die today. The gym is suddenly empty. The language apps are unopened. The diet is broken.
You are likely blaming yourself. You are telling yourself:
- "I'm just lazy."
- "I don't have the discipline."
- "I'm not cut out for languages."
Stop. You are not lazy. You are suffering from a predictable biological crash. And if you understand the chemistry, you can survive it.
The Neuroscience of "The Quit"
The Dopamine Lie
On January 1st, you weren't driven by discipline. You were driven by
Dopamine.
Dopamine is the "molecule of more." It is released when we
anticipate a reward. When you bought that French textbook or
downloaded Glotta, your brain visualized "Future You"—fluent, sexy,
ordering wine in Paris. That vision released a massive spike of dopamine.
But by January 19, the novelty is gone. The "Future You" is still far
away, and the "Present You" is just memorizing verb tables. The dopamine
crashes. And when dopamine leaves, motivation leaves.
The "Here and Now" Molecules
When the dopamine (anticipation) fades, you are left with "Here and Now" (H&N) molecules—serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins. These are triggered by enjoying the moment.
Here is the problem: Most language learning methods are miserable in the moment.
- Flashcards are boring.
- Grammar drills are painful.
- Textbooks are dry.
So, you have no Dopamine (future reward) and no Endorphins (present enjoyment). Of course you quit. Who would voluntarily do something painful with no reward?
The Cure: Switch from "Discipline" to "Identity"
The only way to survive Blue Monday is to stop relying on willpower (which is a limited resource) and start relying on Identity.
You need to shift from "I am trying to learn Spanish" to "I am a person who enjoys Spanish content."
This brings us to the Glotta Philosophy.
We built Glotta because we knew that "studying" fails. If you have to force yourself to open the app, you have already lost. You need a method that triggers the "Here and Now" enjoyment.
The "Netflix Protocol" (How to Cheat Blue Monday)
If you feel like quitting today, do NOT do a grammar lesson. Do not force yourself to "study."
Instead, do this:
1. Lower the Bar to the Floor
Tell yourself: "I will do 2 minutes. That's it."
The hardest part of a rocket launch is the first 100 feet (overcoming gravity). Once you start, momentum takes over.
2. Switch to "Consumption," Not "Production"
Production (speaking/writing) is hard work. Consumption (watching/listening) is easy.
Today, just watch a video.
- Find a clip on YouTube about something you actually like (Formula 1, Cooking, Makeup, Gaming).
- Put it into Glotta.
- Just listen.
3. Use the "Information Gap"
The human brain hates unsolved mysteries.
Don't learn "The colors in Spanish." That's boring.
Learn "What did Bad Bunny say in his latest interview?" or "Why is everyone in Argentina arguing about this politician?"
When you use Glotta to decode real content, you aren't "studying Spanish." You are unlocking a secret. That triggers a tiny dopamine hit in the present moment.
The "No-Boredom" Guarantee
Glotta is the only app where you never have to learn a topic you hate. If
you don't care about "The Library," don't learn it. Generate a lesson on
"Cyberpunk 2077" instead.
If it's interesting, you won't quit.
The 5-Minute "Rescue" Plan for Today
If you are on the edge of deleting your apps, do this immediately:
- Forgive Yourself: You missed a day? Who cares. The streak is a vanity metric. Fluency is a lifetime game.
- Generate ONE Glotta Unit: Pick a topic that makes you smile. "How to flirt in Italian." "Insults in German." "Ordering the best taco in Mexico City."
- Shadow for 180 Seconds: Just do the listening. Feel the rhythm.
You will find that once the "work" is removed and the "curiosity" returns, the urge to quit vanishes.
Summary: Don't Let Biology Beat You
Blue Monday is just a chemical trick. Your brain is trying to save energy by making you quit a "difficult" task.
Trick it back. Make the task easy. Make the task fun. Make the task about you.
You don't need more discipline. You just need better content.