How to Form & Maintain New Habits: What the Research Tells Us (in simple words!)
We know that a secret to living a life we love - and achieving all of our aspirations - lies in being able to add and maintain helpful, positive habits.
Think - I want to embed healthier habits into my life to give me more energy and live longer...
So I recently set out to dive into all the key research I could find from around the world on habits, in particular to help us better understand how to form and maintain new habits.
Here's what I found...
Habit Formation Process:
Habits are actions that become automatic in certain settings, bypassing conscious motivation (Gardner & Lally, 2018). Initially, forming a habit requires conscious effort, but with repeated practice, the action becomes more automatic and less effortful.
Importance of Context and Routine:
The environment plays a crucial role in habit formation. Performing actions in a specific context can help develop habits, while changing the context can assist in breaking old habits (Schwöbel et al., 2019)
This means choosing a regular time and place for your new habit can help establish it.
Role of the Brain:
The brain's structure changes as habits are formed, with specific areas like the striatum playing a key role in this process (Jog et al., 1999). This is a reminder that habit formation is a deep-rooted biological process.
Influence of Reward and Behavior Dynamics:
Habits form more easily when they are associated with rewards. The brain learns to connect specific actions with positive outcomes, reinforcing the habit (Liljeholm et al., 2015).
Personal Experiences in Habit Formation:
Personal experiences of habit development show that it's initially challenging, but it gets easier as the habit becomes more automatic. Selecting effective cues to support repeated behavior is vital (Lally et al., 2011).
Summary for Implementing New Habits:
- Start by clearly defining the new habit you want to establish.
- Repeat the action regularly in the same context, like doing it at the same time and place.
- Reward yourself after performing the habit to reinforce it.
- Remember, it will be hard at first, but it gets easier as your brain adapts.
- Be patient and persistent. It takes time for a new habit to become automatic.
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