1
Habit Making; Habit Breaking
by
Mary Yoke, M.A., M.M.
Indiana University Department of Kinesiology, School of Public Health
[email protected]Habit: definition according to Webster’s Dictionary: a) a thing done often and hence, usually,
done easily; a practice or custom b) a pattern of action that is acquired and has become so
automatic that it is difficult to break.”
I. The Science of Habit Formation
A. Habits are chunked and are primarily formed in the basal ganglia of the
brain. Chunking: the brain’s way of saving effort.
Some habits are performed unconsciously, as if the brain were on
autopilot
Habits protect us from “decision fatigue” once a habit loop has been
formed. This has advantages and disadvantages.
Habits never completely disappear once encoded into the brain.
Habits can emerge without our permission.
B. Characteristics of habits:
Often automatic
Usually emotionless
Situational
C. The partial reinforcement extinction effect: we learn to accept no
rewards along with occasional, unexpected, and unpredictable rewards
(e.g. slot machines, the 1 email out of 50 that is interesting). Variable-
ratio intervals are powerful habit-makers.
D. 21 days to form a habit?
E. Habitual ways of behaving can be organized on a continuum
II. Marketing Strategies for Consumer Habit Formation
A. Create a craving: find a simple and obvious cue, a routine, and then,
provide a clear reward
B. Particularly strong habits can produce addiction-like reactions—
wanting evolves into obsessive craving, forcing our brains into autopilot
III. Changing (or Breaking) a Habit
A. A habit cannot be eradicated; it can only be replaced.
B. A habit is a formula our brain automatically follows: when I see CUE, I
will do a ROUTINE in order to get a REWARD
C. Keep the old cue, deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine.
Almost any behavior can be transformed if the cue and reward stay the
same. The Golden Rule of habit change.