November20,2012

AMan'sLife,PersonalDevelopment

UnlockingtheScienceofHabits:HowtoHacktheHabitLoop&BecometheManYouWanttoBe

Forbetterorforworse,ourhabitsshapeus.Agoodhabitisastrongallyinourjourneytobecomingthemenwewanttobe,whileabadhabitactslikeamillstonearoundournecks.(Wanttoknowwhy?ReadthisManvotional.)Toachieveourgoals,whatevertheymaybe,it’snecessarytodefeatourbadhabitsandencouragethegoodones.Buthowdoyougoaboutdoingthat?We’vewrittenaboutmakingandbreakinghabitsbefore,buthonestly,mostofwhatIsuggestedwasbasedoffofanecdotalevidenceofwhat’sworkedinmylife.Sure,thosetipscanwork,butsincethenI’vecontinuedmysearchformoreefficient,science-basedwaystoimprovemyhabits.

Fortunatelyforme,abookwaspublishedearlierthisyearthathighlightsthelatestresearchbypsychologistsandneuroscientistsonthescienceofhabitformation.It’scalledThePowerofHabitbyCharlesDuhigg,andit’samongthetopfivebooksI’vereadin2012.InThePowerofHabit,Duhiggexplainshowhabitsworkinourbrain.Moreimportantly,herevealstheprocessbywhichahabitbecomesahabit.Bybeingawareofwhathecallsthe“HabitLoop”wecantakecontrolofthehabitsinourlives.

Below,wetakealookatthescienceofhabitsandhowwecanhacktheHabitLoopinourlivestobreakbadhabitsandmakebetterones.

OurBrainonHabits

Justbeneathourgrayandsquigglycerebralcortexsitsasmallpieceofneuraltissuecalledthebasalganglia.Foryears,researchersreallydidn’tknowwhatthebasalgangliadid

exceptthatitmightplayaroleinParkinson’sdisease.Butbeginninginthe1990s,researchersatMIThadahunchthatthebasalgangliahadsomethingtodowiththeformationofhabits.

Theinspirationcameafterresearchersnoticedthatmicewithinjuredbasalgangliadevelopedproblemswithlearninghowtorunthroughmazes.Curious,researcherssurgicallyplacedwiresandprobesinsidethebrainsofhealthymicesotheycouldseetheirbrainactivityastheygotbetterandbetteratmakingitthroughamaze.

Duringthefirstmazeruns,mentalactivityinthemice’scerebralcortexwashigh.Becausethemazewasnewtothem,themicehadtosniffandscratchthewallsinordertomakeittotheendofthemaze.Theyreallyhadtothinkaboutwhichwaytogo.Butasthedaysandweeksprogressed,navigatingthemazebecamemoreandmoreautomaticforthemice.Itwasasiftheydidn’tevenhavetothinkaboutit,and,accordingtothebrainprobes,theyweren’t.Theactivityinthecerebralcortexwentalmostsilentwhenthewell-practicedmicescurriedthroughthemaze.Eventhepartsofthecerebralcortexrelatedtomemoryshoweddecreasedactivity.

Butwhileactivityinthecerebralcortex,orthe“thinking”partofthebrain,decreased,theprobesshowedthatthemice’sbasalgangliawereworkinginoverdrive.TheMITresearchersconcludedthatthebrainessentiallyoff-loadedthemaze-runningsequencefromthecerebralcortextothebasalgangliawhereitwasstoredasahabit.What’smore,the“mazerunning”habitwasinitiatedwheneverthemiceheardacertainclickingnoise.The“click”actedascuetothebasalgangliatorunthemaze-runningscript(we’llcomebacktothisimportantbitofknowledgelater).

Sincetheinitialresearchwithmice,researchershavefoundthathabitsworkprettymuchthesamewaywithushumans.Wheneverwegointo“habitmode,”ourbrainactivityshiftsfromourhigher-thinkingcerebralcortextoourmoreprimitive-thinkingbasalganglia.It’soneofthewaysourbrainworksmoreefficiently.ByfreeingupmentalRAMfromourcerebralcortex,ourbrainscanusethatmentalenergyformoreimportantstufflikecreatingalifeplan,startingabusiness,orevenresearchingthescienceofhabits!

Neuroscientistshavealsolearnedthatonceourbrainencodesahabitintoourbasalganglia,thathabitneverreallydisappears.It’salwaystherelookingforthatcertaincuetoinitiatethehabitsequence.Thatwouldn’tbeaproblemifallourhabitsweregoodforus.Unfortunately,ourbraindoesn’tdistinguishbetweengoodhabitsandbadones.Itwilloff-loadanyrepeatedactivitytothebasalganglia,evenifit’stoourdetriment.

Thepermanenceofbadhabitsshouldn’tdiscourageyou:Changeisstillpossibleaccordingtothelatesthabitresearch.Whileyoucan’treallygetridofabadhabit,itispossibletocreatemorepowerfulgoodhabitsthatsimplyoverridethebadones.Todoso,youneedtounderstandexactlyhowhabitsareformed.Onceyouknowtheprocessbywhichourbrainencodeshabits,youcanstarttweakingthevariouscomponentstochangeandcreateanyhabityouwant.AuthorCharlesDuhiggcallsthishabitformingprocesstheHabitLoop.

TheHabitLoop

TheHabitLoopissortoflikeacomputerprogram—averysimpleone,albeit—consistingofthreeparts:

1. Cue.AccordingtoDuhigg,acueis“atriggerthattellsyourbraintogointoautomaticmodeandwhichhabittouse.”ForthemiceintheMITexperiment,thecuewasa“click”sound;forusacuecouldbe“sittingdownatthecomputer,”or“boredom,”or“lunchtime.”

2. Routine.Theroutineistheactivitythatyouperformalmostautomaticallyafteryouencounterthecue.Aroutinecanbephysical,mental,oremotional.

3. Reward.Therewardiswhathelpsour“brainfigureoutif[a]particularloopisworthrememberingforthefuture.”Arewardcanbeanything.ForthemiceintheMITexperimenttherewardwaschocolate.ForusitcouldbethefeelingwegetaftereatingaFiveGuysburger,smokingacigarette,orwatchingporn.

Asweencounterthisthree-partloopoverandoveragain,theprocessslowlybecomesmoreautomatic.WhatreallycementsthehabitinourbrainiswhentheCueandtheRewardworktogethertoformpowerfulneurologicalcravingsthatcompelustoperformtheRoutine.Inshort,cravingsarethefuelfortheHabitLoop.

Here’showthishappens:Wheneverwecravesomething,ourbrainexperiencesthesamesortofpleasureresponsethatwegetwhenweactuallyexperienceareward—beitatastyburgeroranorgasm.Butthisanticipatorypleasurecreatessomecognitivedissonancewithinus—there’saconflictbetweenwhatourbrainfeels(thepleasureofeatingaburger)andwhatwe’reactuallyexperiencing(I’mnoteatingaburgerrightnow).Ourbrainsdon’tlikethisdisconnectandwillquicklyclosethegapbycompellingustoengageintheRoutinethatwillgiveusthepleasurewe’reanticipating(hittingthedrive-thru).

Whensomethingisahabit,ourbrainstronglyassociatescertainCueswithcertainRewards.

InthecaseoftheMITmice,the“clicking”noisecuewasstronglyassociatedwiththerewardofapieceofchocolate.Justbyhearingtheclick,themicebeganexperiencingthepleasureofeatingthechocolate,whichcreatedacravingtoactuallyeatthechocolate.SortoflikePavlovian’sdogs.Thatcravingthencompelledthemicetogointoautomaticmodeandrunthroughthemazeinthepursuitofchocolatewithouteventhinkingaboutit.

Andasitiswithmice,soitgoeswithhumans.

Likeitornot,weallhavecuesthatweassociatewithcertainrewardsthatcreatealmostinsatiablecravingswithinus.Formanymodernmen,thebuzzorchimeofincomingemailisacuethatinitiatesapowerfulcravingtocheckourinboxtoseeifwe’llberewardedwithsomelife-alteringorexcitingemail.Forothermen,thecueofaputtingontheirrunningshoescreatesacravingfortherewardofarunner’shigh,whichcompelsthemtogetoutthedoorandstartrunning.OnceourbrainassociatesaCuewithaReward,anun-erasablehabitbeginstoencodeitselfwithinourbasalganglia.

HackingtheHabitLooptoChangeBadHabits

Whilehabitsneverreallydisappear,wedon’thavetobeslavestothem.ResearchhasshownthatbybecomingawareoftheHabitLoopinourlivesandmakingsimpletweakstoit,wecanchangebadhabitstogoodones.

Tochangeahabit,youmustsimplyfollowtheGoldenRuleofHabitChange:KeeptheCueandReward;ChangetheRoutine.

That’sit.

“Itseemsridiculouslysimple,butonceyou’reawareofhowyourhabitworks,onceyourecognizethecuesandrewards,you’rehalfwaytochangingit,”saidNathanAzrin,ahabitresearcherCharlesDuhigginterviewedforThePowerofHabit.“Itseemslikeitshouldbemorecomplex.Thetruthis,thebraincanbereprogrammed.Youjusthavetobedeliberateaboutit.”

Belowisastep-by-stepguidethatCharlesDuhiggsuggestsusingtoidentifythecomponentpartsoftheHabitLoopinyourlifesothatyoucanbegintakingdeliberateactiontochangehowitruns.

Step1:IdentifytheRoutine

Thefirststepistoidentifytheroutineyouwanttochangeinyourlife.Doyouwanttostopcheckingyouremailincessantly?Doyouwanttostopwatchingporneverynight?Howaboutquittingyourcaffeinehabit?Ormaybeyouwanttoquitplayingvideogamesallweekendandstartworkingout?ThisisthepartoftheHabitLoopthatwe’llbetweakinginordertochangeourundesirablehabits.

Step2:ExperimentwiththeReward

“Rewardsarepowerfulbecausetheysatisfycravings.Butwe’reoftennotconsciousofthecravingsthatdriveourbehaviors,”saysDuhigg.

It’seasytoidentityourrewards–pizza,orgasm,drinking–butwhatarewereallycravingwhenwegoafterthosethings?Andisthereadifferentrewardthatwillsatisfythetruecraving,butinamorepositiveway?

Toanswerthosequestions,youneedtoconductaseriesofexperimentsdesignedtotestvarioushypotheses.Don’tgetfrustratedduringthisprocessifittakestoolongordoesn’thavetheresultsyouhadpredicted–thinkofyourselflikeascientistwhoisledbycuriosityanddispassionatelyseekstouncoverthetruth.

Forexample,let’ssayyouhaveahabitRoutineofgoingtothevendingmachinetogetaDietMountainDeweveryday.Youwanttochangeitbecauseit’scostingyoumoneyandDietDewisn’tverygoodforyou,soyouneedtofigureoutthecravingthat’sdrivingyoutoseekthatReward,andwhetheradifferentRewardmightsatisfyitequallywell.

Tobeginyourexperiments,thenexttimeyoufeelthatall-too-familiarpulltowardsgettingthatdeliciousneonnectar,adjustyourRoutinesoyougetadifferentReward.Onthefirstdayofyourexperiment,buya7-Upinstead;ontheseconddayjustdrinkwaterfromthewaterfountain;onanotherdaysimplysurfthewebortakeawalkoutside.Whenyoucommencethesubstituteactivity(oraftersay,drinkingthe7-Up),setafifteen-minutealarmonyourwatchorcomputer.Thenwhenthefifteenminutesisup,askyourself:“DoIstillfeeltheurgeforDietMountainDew?”Evaluatethestateofyourcraving.IfyoustillfeelanurgetodotheDewaftersurfingtheweb,thenyou’vediscoveredthatyourhabitisn’tmotivatedbyacravingfordistraction.Ontheotherhand,ifthecravingforDewdisappearsaftertakingawalkoutside,thenperhapsyourDewhabitwasbeingdrivenbyacravingforaquickenergyboost.Bysubstitutingthesoda-Routineforthewalk-Routine,youcansatisfyyourcravingforapick-me-up-Reward,butdoitinahealthier,morepositiveway.

Step3:IdentifytheCue

Onceyouidentifythereward,it’stimetoidentifythecue:thethingthattriggersthecraving.Habitresearchershaveshownthatalmostallhabitcuesfallintooneoffivecategories:

LocationTimeEmotionalStateOtherPeopleImmediately-precedingaction

WheneveryougettheurgeforaMountainDew,writedownanswersthatcorrespondtothefivepossiblecuecategories.Dothisforanentireweek.Afterawhile,youshouldbenoticingareoccurringcue.Forexample,youmightgetthecravingforaDietMountainDewatacertaintimeofdayormaybewheneveryoufeeltiredandbored.MakenoteofwhatyoubelieveyourDietMountainDewHabitCueis.

Step4:CreateaPlan

AfteryouidentifytheCueandReward,youcanstartmakingplanstochangeyourroutine.Accordingtoresearchers,thebestwaytoplanyourhabitchangeisthroughimplementation

intentions.Wewroteabouttheseearlierthisyear.Inanutshell,animplementationintentionisan“if-then”phrasethatlinksasituationalcuetoaspecificaction.

Solet’suseourDietMountainDewexampletocreateanimplementationintentiontohelpuskickthehabit.ThroughdaysofexperimentingyoudiscoveredthatyougettheurgetodrinkaDietMountainDewrightaround2PM.Youalsouncoveredbyexperimentingwithdifferentrewardsthatitwasn’treallytheDietDewyoucraved,youwerejustcravinganenergyboost.Fortunately,youfoundthatwalkingoutsidefor15minutesgaveyouthesameboostaschuggingthesweetstuff.Soyoucouldcreateanimplementationintentionthatlookedlikethis:

WhenIfeeltiredat2PM,Iwillgetupandwalkaroundoutsidefor15minutes.

You’llneedtobemethodicalaboutactuallyimplementingyourimplementationintention.Youcan’thalf-assit.Thegoalistoassociatetakingawalkwithyourtiredness-energyboostcue/rewardcombo.Dependingonhowentrenchedyourbadhabitwas,overridingitwithyournewgoodhabitcouldtakeafewweeks.Bepatient,sticktoyourimplementationintention,andchangewillcome.

Step5:BelieveYouCanChange

Afinalingredientnecessaryforlastinghabitchangeistobelievethatchangeispossible.Researchershavefoundthatthebestwaytofosterthatbeliefinyourselfistosurroundyourselfwithasupportivegroupofpeople.AccordingtopsychologistToddHeatherton,“Changeoccursamongotherpeople.Itseemsrealwhenwecanseeitinotherpeople’seyes.”

TheabilityofgroupstoencouragebeliefthatchangeispossibleisoneofthereasonsresearchersbelieveAlcoholicsAnonymoushasbeensosuccessfulwithhelpingpeoplebeattheiralcoholhabit.Everyweektheygotoameetingwhereeveryonebelievesthattheycanchange.

Yourgroupdoesn’thavetobeaslargeasanAAmeeting.Infact,justhavingoneotherpersontoturntoasyouchangeyourhabitcanfosterthebeliefthatyoucanchangeyourbadhabit.Findanaccountabilitypartnerthatyoucanmeetwithonaregularbasistoreportonyourprogressandgetencouragement.Ideallyyourpartnerwouldbesomebodythatyoucanmeetwithface-to-face,butevenvirtualcheck-inscanwork.

HowtoFormaNewHabitUsingtheHabitLoop

UnderstandinghowtheHabitLoopworkscanalsohelpyoucreatenewhabitsthatyou’vebeenmeaningtoestablish,butneverhadthewherewithaltofollowthroughon.Youjustneedtodesignacue-routine-rewardloopandworkthroughituntilacravingiscreatedthatdrivestheloop.Itmaytakesometinkeringandexperimentation,butwithenoughpatienceanddiligence,you’llstrikeonsomethingthatworks.

YourMan-UpChallenge

Ihavetwochallengesforyoutoday.First,pickahabitthatyouwanttochangeandstart

experimentingtofindoutwhatyourHabitLoopis.I’dlovetohearwhathabityouplantoworkon,soshareitwithusinthecomments.Second,IhighlyrecommendyoupickupacopyofThePowerofHabitatabookstoreorlibrary.IjustscratchedthesurfaceoftheHabitLoopinthispost.DuhigggoesintomuchmoredetailandprovidescompellingexamplesoftheHabitLoopinaction.You’llbeabettermanafterreading.

WatchaVideoSummaryofHowtoHacktheHabitLoop

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