Our habits – the things we do automatically day in day out – were once upon a time intentional behaviours
If you’ve ever set a goal to start a new habit or break an old one and you fell off the wagon; if you’ve been in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, phone scrolling or alarm snoozing; or if you intend to do one thing but end up doing another, then you’re in the right place.
Why do you find yourself repeating unwanted patterns? What do you do when exhaustion creeps in and you lose your willpower? The good news is it’s never too late to reprogram your habits. But how long does it really take and how can you make the changes stick?
“You know you’ve reached a level of automaticity with a certain habit when you’re starting to do it unconsciously and effortlessly and it would feel somewhat strange if you didn’t do it”
Leading habit researcher Dr Gina Cleo reveals revolutionary breakthroughs in behavioural science that will help you uncover how your brain works, and how to rewire it to make instant and lasting change in your life.
“The Habit Revolution” by Gina Cleo provides insightful perspectives on understanding and changing habits. BigIdeas from the book:
How habits are formed
The Power of Habits: Habits, like driving or tying shoelaces, start as conscious efforts and become automatic through repetition. Understanding habit change can significantly impact various life areas, from health to productivity.
Defining Habits: Habits are neutral actions, responses, or beliefs that become automatic through repeated practice in a consistent context. They vary from person to person based on individual goals and contexts.
The Habit Loop: Habits consist of three components: a cue (trigger), a routine (action), and a reward. This loop reinforces the habit, making it automatic over time.
Origins of Habits: Our daily habits were once intentional actions chosen to achieve a goal or desired outcome. They transition from being reflective, conscious actions to becoming automatic, impulsive responses.
Habit Formation Process: Habits form when we repeatedly perform an action in a specific context, creating strong neural pathways. They vary in strength and become more ingrained as they’re repeated in the same context.
Automaticity in Habits
Habits become automatic or unconscious through repetition. This automaticity is beneficial for positive habits but detrimental for negative ones, impacting our lives significantly.
Developing Automaticity: Achieving automaticity in habits means they become unconscious and effortless. The goal is to develop automaticity in positive habits and eliminate it in negative ones.
Characteristics of a Habit: Three key characteristics define a habit: a history of repetition, a high degree of automaticity, and being triggered in stable contexts. Recognizing these can help differentiate habits from behaviors.
Habit Triggers in Stable Contexts: Habits are always triggered by stable contexts. The strength of the cue-routine association determines how likely we are to perform the habit. Awareness and intention can help break unwanted habits.
Identifying a Habit
To identify if an action is a habit, ask if it feels natural or automatic and if it occurs in the same time or place, or after a specific action. This self-assessment can reveal habitual patterns.
Habit vs. Addiction: Habits and addictions are repeated behaviors but differ in control and impact.
Habits Preserve Energy: Habits transition from conscious to subconscious behavior, saving mental energy. This automaticity helps manage the multitude of decisions we face daily, allowing the brain to focus on more complex tasks.
Habits Create a Natural Flow: Established habits contribute to a seamless daily experience, reducing the need for constant decision-making and creating a sense of continuity and flow in life.
Habits Facilitate Efficiency: Habits streamline behaviors and thoughts, making them the default response to familiar triggers. They reduce the effort needed in decision-making and execution of routine tasks.
Dual Processing Systems: Our behavior is governed by two brain systems – the reflective (intentional) and impulsive (habitual). The reflective system is used for new, deliberate actions, while the impulsive system manages familiar, automatic behaviors.
Balancing Intention and Habit: The strength of our intentions inversely affects our habits. Strong intentions weaken habitual responses and vice versa. This dynamic highlights the importance of setting goals and intentions for desired behavioral changes.
The Reflective-Impulsive Model (RIM)
The RIM suggests that our behavior is influenced by two parallel brain systems. The impulsive system is always active, handling habitual actions, while the reflective system engages for new or complex tasks.
Their interaction can be synergistic or antagonistic, influencing our actions in different contexts.
Habit Triggers
Habits are initiated by triggers, which can be external (like environmental cues) or internal (like emotions). Understanding these triggers is crucial for both forming new habits and breaking unwanted ones.
5 Key Habit Triggers: Almost all habits can be traced back to five categories of triggers: time, location, preceding event/action, emotional state, and social situation.
Recognizing these triggers is essential for effective habit management.
Preceding Events as Triggers: Many habits are responses to preceding events or actions. Linking a new habit to an existing action can be an effective way to establish it. For instance, flossing can be linked to the existing habit of brushing teeth.
Habit-Formation Framework:
Creating new habits involves three stages: initiation, training, and maintenance. Each stage requires different strategies and focuses, from setting a clear habit goal to consistently performing the habit. Notable ideas from the book:
- Rewiring for Success: Success in habit formation and breaking is rooted in commitment, consistency, and context-dependent repetition. Identifying personal motivations and aligning them with values can drive significant brain changes, enhancing neuroplasticity and facilitating habit modification.
- Brain Mechanisms in Habit Formation: Neurogenesis (creation of new neurons), synaptic strengthening, and synaptic pruning are key biological processes in habit formation. Repetition strengthens neural connections for new habits, while lack of use leads to the pruning of old, unwanted habits.
- Neuroplasticity in Action: The brain’s adaptability, known as neuroplasticity, allows it to change throughout life. Forming new connections and weakening old ones, our brain can be rewired for different thoughts and behaviors. This plasticity enables habit change at any age.
- Mind vs. Brain: The mind and brain, while interconnected, are distinct. The brain is a physical organ, while the mind encompasses subjective experiences and mental processes. As the brain evolves, so does the mind, and vice versa, impacting our actions and habits.
- Overcoming Strong Habits: Breaking strong habits and addictions is possible with the right approach. For instance, abstaining from a problematic habit for a period, like 30 days, can reset reward pathways in the brain, aiding in habit change.
- Impact of Environment on Habits: Changes in environment can disrupt habitual behaviors, prompting new decisions and actions. This shift in surroundings makes us more mindful and less reliant on automatic responses, facilitating habit change.
How to break bad habits
Two Methods for Breaking Habits: Reprogramming and restructuring are effective strategies for habit change. Reprogramming involves replacing an unwanted habit with a desired one, while restructuring means altering the environment to remove habit triggers.
Understanding and Confronting Unwanted Habits: Recognizing and acknowledging unwanted habits is the first step towards change. Determination, discipline, and the right strategies are key to transforming these ingrained behaviors into positive patterns.
Simple Actions for Habit Change: To create a new habit, choose a simple, daily action that moves you towards your goal. Consistently performing this action in a specific context helps in forming a cue-response association, making the habit automatic over time.
The Influence of Beliefs on Habits: Our beliefs significantly impact our habits. If you believe in the importance and benefits of a habit, you’re more likely to maintain it. For instance, if you consider exercise essential for health and well-being, you’re more likely to incorporate it into your routine. Beliefs can either reinforce or undermine our habits, depending on how they align with our values and goals.
The Role of Identity in Habit Formation: How we perceive ourselves deeply influences our habits. If you see yourself as a fit and active person, you’re more inclined to engage in regular exercise. This self-identity plays a crucial role in reinforcing habits that align with our perceived self-image.
Habit Disruption by Environmental Changes: Changing our environment can disrupt our automatic habits, forcing us to make mindful decisions. For example, moving to a new city or changing workplaces can break old habits and create opportunities for forming new ones. This shift in environment plays a crucial role in habit formation and change.
Habit researchers agree that there are three central characteristics of a habit: a history of repetition, a high degree of automaticity, and being triggered in stable contexts
Challenges in Changing Established Habits: Habits that have been part of our routine for a long time can be challenging to change. It requires not just willpower but also understanding the underlying mechanisms of these habits and employing effective strategies to modify or replace them.
Autopilot works much like our habits. When we encounter a habit trigger our brain draws on its memory of the learned response and activates the pre-programed neural pathways associated with activating the habit
Creating and Sustaining New Habits: Forming new habits isn’t just about repetition; it’s about creating a conducive environment, aligning habits with our identity, and repeatedly performing these actions in consistent contexts. Sustaining new habits requires a combination of motivation, reinforcement, and the right environmental cues.
Impact of Social Influences on Habits: Our social environment can greatly influence our habits. Being around people who practice healthy habits can encourage us to adopt similar behaviors. Conversely, being in a group where unhealthy habits are the norm can make it harder to maintain healthier choices.
Habit Modification Through Mindful Awareness: Developing an awareness of our automatic behaviors is the first step in changing them. Mindfulness practices can help in recognizing our habitual actions and the triggers that lead to them, enabling us to make conscious choices to change.
The Power of Small Changes: Small, incremental changes in behavior can lead to significant habit transformation over time. Instead of attempting to overhaul habits overnight, focusing on small, manageable changes can be more sustainable and effective in the long run.
Overcoming Obstacles in Habit Change: Encountering challenges and setbacks is a normal part of the habit change process. Persistence, patience, and adapting strategies in response to these challenges are key to successful habit modification.
