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(conversation) Have you made a New Year’s resolution to break a bad habit but find yourself slipping back into old patterns? You’re not alone. In fact, studies show that 40% of our daily actions are habits — automatic routines that we do without thinking. But how are these habits formed and why are they so hard to break?
Habits can be compared to riverbeds. Long-established rivers tend to have deep riverbeds and always have water flowing in that direction. New rivers do not have well-defined water flows due to their shallow beds. The course can change and become difficult to predict.
Habits help our actions “flow” along predictable routes, much like pouring water on a river bed. But what we’re really talking about here is learning and non-learning.
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What happens in your brain when you make a habit?
in the meantime Early stages of habit formation, the decision-making part of the brain (the prefrontal cortex) is activated and the behavior becomes very deliberate (choose to get out of bed instead of dozing off). When a new routine is started, brain circuits, also called neural networks, are activated.
The more often you repeat new actions, the more powerful and efficient these neural networks become. This reorganization and strengthening of connections between neurons is called neuroplasticity, and when it comes to building habits — long term enhancementEvery time you try to build a habit and perform a new action, you need smaller cues or triggers to activate the same network of brain cells.
Brain circuits are activated by new habits, such as exercise, and such habits are strengthened over time.
Habits Reinforce Over Time To form associations and earn rewards. For example, you’ll feel the benefits of your new habit because it’s easier to get to work on time without having to hit snooze.
Then, as the habit becomes stronger, the decision-making part of the brain no longer needs to be activated to initiate action. Habits are activated in memory and viewed as automated. Neural circuits can carry out habits without conscious thought. In other words, you no longer have to choose to take action.
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How long does it really take to form a habit?
Lifestyle advice from popular media and social media influencers often says it takes 21 days to pick up or break a habit. An idea first presented in the 1960sThis is generally considered an oversimplification, but there is surprisingly little empirical evidence.
seminal research published in European Journal of Social Psychology It is often said that it takes 18-254 days to form a habit, with an average of about 66 days.
In that study, 96 people were asked to choose a new health habit and practice it daily for 84 days. Of his first 96 participants, 39 (about 41%) successfully formed habits by the end of the study period. The level of success in forming a habit and the length of time it took to form a habit seemed to vary by goal type.
For example, goals associated with drinking a glass of water each day are more likely to be successful and performed faster without conscious thought than goals associated with eating fruit or exercising. I was. Moreover, time of day seemed important, and habits cued earlier in the day were automated sooner than habits cued later in the day (e.g., fruit with lunch or in the evening, walk after breakfast, walk after breakfast, walk after breakfast, etc.). dinner).
Because this study was fairly small, these findings are inconclusive. However, if you haven’t been able to form a new habit for 21 days, don’t worry. There is still hope.
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What about breaking bad habits?
Most of us also have bad habits, or unwanted behaviors. In the brain, quitting unwanted habits is associated with another form of neuroplasticity called long-term depression (not to be confused with mental health conditions).
Instead of strengthening neural connections, long-term depression is a process that weakens neural connections. So how do we silence two neurons that were previously firing closely together?
By identifying your triggers for action and the rewards that reinforce them, you can break habits like nail biting.
One common approach to break bad habits Identifying specific cues or triggers that call for action and rewards that reinforce the habit.
For example, if someone bites their nails when stressed, the reward is a temporary distraction or sensory stimulation. For example, use a bitter nail polish or focus on deep breathing exercises when you’re stressed. Once interrupted, over time, the old behavior of nail biting will gradually fade away.
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Tips for building or breaking habits
To break the habit:
- identify the triggeravoid or change them.
- find a replacement: Try replacing your old habits with new healthy habits.
- practice self-compassion: Setbacks are a natural part of the process. Recommit to your goals and keep going.
To form a habit:
- start small: Start with simple, attainable habits that can be easily integrated into your daily routine.
- consistent: Repeat the habit consistently until it becomes automatic.
- reward yourself to keep you motivated.
Given its river bed-like behavior, it is the amount of water that flows that deepens the river. In action, it means the analogy of repetition and repetition: practicing new habits. New habits can be overwhelming, so practicing in small chunks can help. It might just deepen some of the mainstream rather than create new riverbeds.
find meaning Important in new habits. some research reported a powerful finding that the belief that habits can be changed is also important. It is important to believe in change, recognize its potential, and commit to practice.
Ashleigh E. Smith is Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of South Australia. Carol Maher is a professor at the University of South Australia and an emerging leader of the Medical Research Future Fund. Susan Hillier is Professor of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation at the University of South Australia. Smith is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Medical Research Future Fund, and Dementia Australia. Maher is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, National Health and Medical Research Council, National Heart Foundation, South Australian Department of Education, South Australian Department of Innovation and Skills, Healthway, Hunter New England Local Health District and Central. Adelaide Local Health Network and her LeapForward. Hillier is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and her Medical Research Future Fund.
