Habit (psychology)
In psychology, a habit is defined as an automatic behavior acquired through repetition, often occurring without conscious thought. Habits can encompass various actions, from simple mannerisms and emotional eating to more complex behaviors like smoking or nail-biting. Understanding how habits form and evolve is crucial for developing strategies to promote beneficial behaviors while curbing harmful ones. The formation of a habit typically involves a three-part process: a cue that triggers the behavior, the behavior itself, and a reward that reinforces it.
Research indicates that achieving automaticity—the point at which a habit becomes ingrained—can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days. Notably, habits can be altered by modifying cues and rewards, providing individuals with the ability to change undesirable behaviors. While bad habits differ from addictions, they can still be managed through willpower and awareness of triggers. In contemporary times, digital tools and gamification approaches have emerged to assist in habit formation, although traditional behavior modification methods that emphasize active participation have proven to be more effective. Understanding the dynamics of habits is essential for both personal development and therapeutic practices.
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Habit (psychology)
To promote healthy or beneficial behaviors, it is necessary to understand how different behaviors develop. The understanding of human behavior has evolved significantly since the early twentieth century, when the first attempts to define human behaviors as a result of modern scientific observation was undertaken. One of the behaviors that became a focus of scientific study was the development and progression of a habit. Prior to this inquiry, philosophers such as Aristotle sought to define habit: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." Socrates wrote about his method of great living, emphasizing good habits over bad habits. By better understanding what constitutes a habit and how to effectively promote good habits, targeted therapies for bad habits can be achieved.
Brief History
William James, an American philosopher and psychologist, discussed the development of a habit in his first book, the Principles of Psychology (1890). He stated that a large portion of our daily behaviors include habits that come about through acts of reason for both humans and animals. James explained that there are distinct types of habits and gave suggestions for discarding poor habits and introducing new ones. Above all, he stressed that education was necessary to alter one’s behavior and bring forth new and more positive habits. His maxims included (1) make a determined initiative to change the habit, (2) do not allow any exception to the new behavior until it becomes automatic, (3) be aggressive on intentionally performing the new behavior, and (4) practice it daily. The first three suggestions describe how to break a habit and build a new habit through aggressive intent; the amount of ingraining for most habits requires an aggressive and meaningful approach in order to break them. The fourth suggestion indicates that it requires effort to create new imprinting so that a behavior is performed automatically.
In 1903, the American Journal of Psychology produced this definition of a habit: "A habit, from the standpoint of psychology, is a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental experience." This marked the beginning of scientific investigation that would more precisely articulate the development of a habit and introduce effective management of human behaviors that constitute habits, good or bad.
Overview
A habit is an act that is acquired by repetition and occurs without conscious thought. Examples of habits include mannerisms (i.e., saying "um" when speaking); psychological/physiological cravings, such as smoking or illicit drug use; emotional eating; nail-biting; and even reading preferences. Psychoanalysts seek to understand habitual behaviors, as they play a role in human learning and can be utilized to treat a patient when the habit is harmful.
Habit formation is the process that leads to developing new habits. A habit can begin as a reaction to a major event, such as a bodily injury. If the individual is exposed to a certain cue that recreates the event, the individual will unconsciously remember the event and react as if it were happening again. Well-formed habits are difficult to break, and new habits are difficult to form because of the process of neuronal imprinting that must occur. A new habit can be formed intentionally if an individual feels this behavior is beneficial (i.e., taking medications on time, paying bills on time, etc.). The habit forms when the behavior is repeated consistently, which increases automaticity of the behavior. The primary sign of automaticity is when an individual is no longer conscious of the behavior. This sign is called the asymptote of the behavior.
There are three parts to the development of a behavior: the cue, the behavior, and the reward. The cue is the event that causes the behavior to arise and triggers the behavior once automaticity occurs. The reward, or positive feeling, perpetuates the habit. Research has indicated that it can take between 18 and 254 days to achieve the asymptote of automaticity.
A bad habit can be distinguished from an addiction or mental disease through evidence of willpower. If an individual has control over the bad behavior (through good intentions), it is considered a habit. Bad habits can be actively changed or ceased through removing the triggers or other factors that lead to the bad behaviors. The basal ganglia retain the information for the imprinting of a particular habit and will produce the behavior if the trigger is still possible.
In addition to removing the cue for triggering the behavior, it is important to identify the bad habit as early as possible. The longer the habit is performed, the deeper the ingraining and longer it will take to remove the bad habit. The most effective method for changing bad habits is to be aware of the cue and modify one’s routine and reward.
In the twenty-first century, individuals seeking to begin a habit can utilize digital tools and mobile apps to help reinforce the habit. One example is "gamification," which uses video games to simulate daily tasks that would be considered healthy habits. It uses the intent, follow-through, and a reward, usually as an experience or virtual gold. However, studies evaluating the efficacy of this program have demonstrated that it does not follow the theory of learned behaviors adequately, and participants do not develop the asymptote of automaticity after using it. It appears that behavior modification, which requires the participant to actually perform the new behavior while concentrating on why the old behavior is unhealthy or bad, is the most effective means to develop a new habit.
Bibliography
Andrews, B. R. "Habit." The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 14, no. 2, 1903, pp. 121–49.
Barrett, Nathaniel F. "A Dynamic Systems View of Habits." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 8, 2014, p. 682.
"Creating Healthy Habits." Healthdirect, Dec. 2023, www.healthdirect.gov.au/creating-healthy-habits. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.
Dolan, Ray J., and Peter Dayan. "Goals and Habits in the Brain." Neuron, vol. 80, no. 2, 2013, pp. 312–25.
Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Doubleday Canada, 2012.
Kapp, Karl M. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: Game-Based Methods and Strategies for Training and Education. Pfeiffer, 2012.
Lally, P., et al. "How Are Habits Formed: Modeling Habit Formation in the Real World." European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 40, no. 6, 2010, pp. 998–1009.
Ouellette, Judith A., and Wendy Wood. "Habit and Intention in Everyday Life: The Multiple Processes by Which Past Behavior Predicts Future Behavior." Psychological Bulletin, vol. 124, no. 1, 1998, pp. 54–74.
Oulasvirta, Antti, et al. "Habits Make Smartphone Use More Pervasive." Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, vol. 16, no. 1, 2012, pp. 105–14.