What route do you take to work? Do you put on your running shoes when you get home and go for a run, or make a hot drink and eat in front of the TV?
William James, a famous psychologist, stated in 1892 that "our lives are a set of habits as much as they have a specific shape." Our daily decisions may appear due to careful consideration, but they are just habits.
Over time, the meals we choose, the money we save or spend, how often we exercise, how we organize our thoughts, and our daily routines at work impact our health, productivity, financial security, and happiness.
One research published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 found that more than 40% of the daily people's actions were not actual decisions but habits. Habits, by definition, are choices we all deliberately make at some point, and then we stop thinking about them but continue doing them daily.
At some point, we all consciously decided how much to eat, what to focus on when we got to work, and when to go for a run, but then we stopped choosing, and behavior became automatic; that's a natural consequence of our neuroscience, and by understanding how that happens, you can reconstruct those patterns the way you choose.
Here's what you'll discover in this article:
- How do habits form?
- What each habit has in common, regardless of whether it is good or bad.
- We will mention a simple 3-step process for gaining consistent good habits or eliminating bad ones.
How habits are formed?
Scientists say that habits are formed due to constant brain searching for ways to save effort. If the brain decides, it will turn almost any routine into a habit because it allows our minds to work slowly often, and this effort-saving instinct is a great advantage.
An effective brain permits us to stop constantly thinking about basic behaviors, such as walking and choosing what to eat, so we can devote our mental energy to doing more important things in life.
In The Power of Habit, the American writer Charles Duhigg describes a series of experiments conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the science of habit formation.
Researchers have conducted these experiments on groups of mice, putting them in mazes and making them smell, looking for a piece of chocolate at the end of the maze.
They wanted to monitor the brain activity of the mice as they moved through the maze, so they inserted precise sensors into their brains, which helped them determine which parts of the brain would work when the mice ran through the maze, and that would help them understand how the brain formed habits.
Therefore, they began the experiment, and it initially appeared that the mice did nothing noteworthy.
They started moving from the beginning of the maze, smelled and scratched the walls a little, and stopped randomly from time to time before moving through the maze again, but then the researchers noticed something important.
Each time the mice moved from one end of the maze to the other, they sniffed around a little, scratched the walls, stopped a little, and then moved through the maze more quickly each time.
After the mice moved through the maze several times, they learned that the mental activity of the mice decreased with each successful move through the maze because the road had become smoother, so the mice did not think much about the way to cross the maze, so there is no need for more sniffing, scratching, and pausing, so they can speed up the transition from the beginning to the end without thinking at all.
The researchers found that this automaticity in the movement of mice depends on the part of the brain called the "basal ganglia," which takes over, and the mouse runs faster and works less. The basal ganglia were essential for remembering patterns and acting on them. In other words, they are responsible for storing habits even while resting the rest of the brain, and your brain works in the same way.
This procedure, known as "segmentation," is crucial in habit development. When the brain uses this process, it turns a series of actions - such as brushing your teeth, tying your shoes, or parking your car in the garage - into an automatic routine. Our brains form habits because they always look for effective ways to save effort.
Three steps to acquiring new habits of any kind
“This process inside our brains is a three-step loop. First, there is a signal, which is a stimulus that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and the habit to use, a routine that can be physical, mental, or emotional, and a reward that helps your brain discover whether this particular loop is worth remembering in the future.”
If you want to form new habits of any kind, consider the following formula:
Signal + Routine + Reward = Habit
The new habits build on this three-step cycle:
- Signal: A stimulus for your brain tells it what habit to use.
- Routine: The way a habit affects what you do, think, or feel.
- Reward: It helps us determine how valuable the habit is and whether or not it's worth remembering.
How to form good habits in your life: looking for a signal and determining rewards
"If you want to start running every morning, you should choose a clear signal (like always wearing your sneakers before breakfast or leaving your gym clothes by your bedside) and a clear reward (like feeling relaxed and cheerful in the middle of the day, feeling accomplished because of your set mileage or the endorphin rush you get from running).
However, several studies have shown that pointing and rewarding alone are insufficient to sustain a new habit. Your brain will automatically put on your running shoes every morning once it starts to anticipate the endorphin high or the sense of accomplishment. In addition to stimulating the routine, the cue should trigger a craving for the reward.
The secret to creating habits is based on a straightforward equation that anyone can use. Assuming you want to develop the habit of working out first thing in the morning:
- You start by choosing a signal, such as keeping your sneakers close to the door.
- This signal should stimulate the routine you want to adopt, such as early morning exercise.
- Next, you choose a clear reward, such as drinking juice after each workout.
- Finally, you should anticipate that reward by thinking about the juice you'll enjoy drinking after working out at the gym.
The simple addition of reward cravings may determine whether you get up and go to the gym or continue to sleep. Cravings are the motivation behind building habits, and the reason behind the habit's strength is the creation of nervous desire. Knowing what triggers this desire makes it easier to form new habits.
Conclusion
- Think about the habit you want to form, and write it down.
- Next, consider selecting your signal and write it down.
- Now, think about your reward, and write it down.
- Finally, remember to make sure the reward is something you can crave or expect as you form this new habit.
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