Habit Formation as a Tool for Happiness
The importance of building healthy routines is becoming a prominent topic within the western world. Social media is providing researchers with useful insight on how habit formation and retention works in real life. Many are beginning to understand the cumulative benefits of seemingly small daily rituals, and how they have an ability to transform our overall quality of existence.
However, it’s not as easy as the wellness influencers who dominate many of our feeds make it seem. The online space is full of tips and tricks on how to cultivate healthy habits, partake in nutritious meals 3 times a day, get 10,000 steps, build strength, develop financial literacy, be more mindful or meditate, engage in journalling, nurture and maintain relationships, get on the career ladder, or jump on the property ladder… (phew!)....
It can all get a bit overwhelming. It seems unrealistic to commit to this expectation of constant personal growth. Time is precious, and the question becomes: How do we manage the responsibilities of adult life, whilst also striving to become the most vibrant, healthy, well-rounded versions of ourselves,. And, where is the time to sleep??!!
This is where good habits come in. It’s useful to understand the cognitive processes that underly our daily choices and how these can become automatic. By learning about how habits form, we can literally ‘hack our brains’ to make small, positive behavioural changes which build up to make big differences in ourselves and the lives we’re able to lead.
We are all creatures of habit, to some extent. Similar to a lot of animals, our behaviours are formed through conditioning. The basic principle being that we repeat actions that give us a reward or take away negative affect, and we reduce the frequency of behaviours that we learn have negative consequences. This is why dopamine-inducing activities such as eating chocolate, smoking cigarettes or drinking (a bit too much) can become a bad habit, because it feels so good! Equally, working out can be something we repeatedly avoid because it can feel challenging or unpleasant.
BREAKING HABITS
Of course, everyone can indulge every now and again, and this is nothing to feel guilty about - enjoying a sweet treat is not inherently bad. However, when we repeat these actions too often, they can become habitual, and this is where problems can arise.
When a habit is formed, the behaviour becomes automatic which means it is done without much thought or awareness. Research suggests that this becomes ‘cue-dependent’, which means stimuli associated with a particular action can become a trigger for it. This is also called ‘context-action associations’, and they can lead to ‘automatically cued behavioural responses’.
This automaticity that develops with certain behaviours serves an important role in our evolution. It would be exhausting to have to consciously think through every choice in our day-to-day lives, and not always practical. However, when it comes to habit change, the first step is to identify the behaviours you want to change and bring them back into conscious processing. It may also be useful to recognise environmental cues that are associated with this habit – for example if you are trying to quit smoking, making the decision to travel a different route to the one that passes the shop that you usually buy cigarettes from.
Furthermore, the ‘habit discontinuity effect’ states that a change in life circumstance such as moving house or changing job could make breaking and making new habits much easier. With the absence of familiar cues associated with old behaviours, your brain gets a fresh start to create new ones. Therefore, if you’re going through a life change, consider taking the opportunity to establish some positive habits.
MAKING HABITS
The good news is similarly to bad habits, good habits also have an element of automaticity – once it becomes an established behaviour, you can go for that run
without much deliberation. Unfortunately, making these habits are easier said than done and before it’s a habit, it is merely a goal-oriented behaviour.
Firstly, behaviour change can only occur by ensuring that we have the availability of resources to do so. Carving out a time or space to carry out this new element of your routine is the first step in ensuring the success of a new habit formation- whether this
be a commitment to a gym membership, or just scheduling a 30 minute walk into your day.
Secondly, motivation is key in the initiation and maintenance of your new habit. When deciding on what habits you would like to begin in this new stage of life, it can be helpful to actively and repeatedly bring to mind the benefits you wish to gain from this change.
THE WHY QUESTION
If you want to build a habit, such as implementing exercise into your daily routine, it may be useful to consistently bring to mind the reasons you are doing so. This is called the WHY question. Your answer may be to: feel better, have more energy, get stronger or to live a longer, healthier life.
It is understood that when something becomes a habit, this is a protective mechanism for the maintenance of this behaviour, even in the advent of dips in motivation.
However, with many behaviours such as working out, the initiation of the action may be less conscious, yet actually doing the workout requires conscious oversight. This is where the ‘behaviour intention-behaviour gap’ comes in. Often we intend to do a certain activity but never actually end up carrying it out.
REPETITION IS KEY
Evidence suggests that there is a positive correlation between the frequency of the behaviour and the strength of a habit. In other words repetition is key – this helps solidify the habit which then helps prevent dips in motivation, and stops the discontinuity. This cue-behaviour association in our memory activates a learned response which can occur regardless of our current motivational state.
The all too familiar trope of failed New Year resolutions serves as a great real life example for the intention-behaviour gap. It can often occur when we overestimate
the expected rewards of a behaviour change, or fail to
anticipate some of the negative outcomes that comes with it. This can include not seeing a change fast
enough, or not appreciating the effort it will take at the beginning.
Throughout the process of developing a habit it is important to remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day!”. Remember, each time we choose to fulfil the promises we make to ourselves, a huge step is made towards creating the future we want. Motivation can waver throughout the ebbs and flows of life, but cultivating habits helps us persist, and find a way through.
ONE DAY AT A TIME
Any meaningful change takes time, and our health and wellbeing are largely shaped by the decisions we make on a day-to-day basis. Everyone has the power to create
healthy habits that work for them to help create a life they can enjoy with balance.
The great thing about habits is that once they are established, you can embrace the flexibility that comes with being able to fall back on the routines that keep your mind and body feeling strong. Ultimately, having a good foundation begins with yourself, and healthy habits are the building blocks for this. They help us put our best foot forwards when navigating the difficult times in life.
Next time you wish you were better at money management or had more discipline with going to the gym, remember it only takes one conscious choice to begin the process of habit formation! Good luck.
Images : Pexels and Pixabay
References:
Habit Formation and Behavior Change | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology
Habit formation and change - ScienceDirect
The influence of habit formation on modal choice —a Heuristic model| Transportation (springer.com)
Author
Gemma Nield
Guest Writer and Student
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