Building a Better You Habits make us who we are. They play into our health, our productivity, our relationships, and our happiness. But have you ever wondered how it’s all done? More specifically, how are those pesky habits formed and, most importantly, how on earth are they changed? This science of habit reveals how the brain’s neural patterns actually form new behaviors in an individual and having that knowledge can help even the most mundane of tasks in building better habits.
The Habit Loop:
Cue, Routine, Reward According to Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of Habit, the brain goes through a three-step habit loop, which is cue, routine, and reward. It means that something triggers the brain to make it act on a certain routine, after which it enjoys a reward. The cue can be when someone is stressed; the routine could be snatching a snack, and temporary relief or comfort might be the reward. This loop eventually settles in the basal ganglia of your brain, that part where automatic behaviors live. Habit repetition essentially hardwires it into the brain as a feeling of second nature. Breaking the habit requires the identification and alteration of cues for an unwanted behavior along with its rewards.
The 21-Day Myth and Real Timeline of Habit Formation
There’s a popular myth that says it will take 21 days to get into a habit, but studies prove that wrong. A study published in 2009 by Dr. Phillippa Lally in the European Journal of Social Psychology found that, on average, new behavior takes about 66 days to become automatic. However, this varies based on the complexity of the habit. Simple habits like drinking water in the morning take much less time to form than complex behaviors such as regular exercise. Also, Lally’s studies showed that consistency is very important. Missing one or two days does not severely hurt the formation of a habit, but more prolonged consistency can severely undermine the formed progress.
Neuroplasticity:
The Power of the Brain to Change Our brains are highly flexible. This is due to a concept called neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Every time a new habit is repeated, the brain strengthens specific neural pathways, thus making the behavior easier to do over time. That is why learning something can be considered difficult at first but easier and automatic later. It has also been found that if a person images a habit and then practices it in his mind, then he is recruiting the same neural pathway that would have been done if they had performed that action physiologically. This can help develop habits like constructive thinking or the abolition of anxiety through mental rehearsing.Triggers and Environments:
Preparing for Success The environment also plays an important role in habit formation. According to psychology professor at the University of Southern California and habit researcher Dr. Wendy Wood, 45% of daily actions have a habitually driven function, which is most often set by the environment. This then means that altering environments might help in changing behavior. This can be illustrated through the process of placing exercise clothes close to your bed, as this will facilitate exercising more in the morning, and keeping healthy foods visible facilitates better eating habits. One study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people were more likely to form healthy habits when they changed their environment to make it less frictionful. The takeaway? Structuring environments to make good habits easier—and bad habits harder—can significantly improve habit success rates.
The Role of Willpower and Accountability
Willpower is a limited resource that can become depleted, especially when relying solely on motivation to maintain habits. Experts suggest the use of external accountability and cues instead of just motivational strategies. Social support, whether from a friend, family member, or an app, has been found to support habit consistency.
In fact, according to a report by the American Psychological Association, people with social accountability achieved their goals 95% more often than those trying to go it alone.
Conclusion
Forming habits is a powerful tool for personal development based on established neuroscience. Habit formation is an accessible, sustainable process for anyone who understands the habit loop, practices consistency, takes advantage of neuroplasticity, adjusts their environments, and adds accountability. Applying these scientific principles means habits do not have to be viewed as a matter of pure willpower.
