The Science of How Habits Work

If we're going to talk about habits and making changes, we need to understand how habits work.

Most of us know that we have some bad habits that are standing in the way of us achieving what we want in life. We also know that we need to replace these with some empowering habits that will make the transition to a better life a lot easier.

This is all well and good, but the problem is that breaking bad habits and forming new good ones is a tough thing to do. It requires dedication and effort that most people are not prepared to commit to.

If you really want to break your bad habits and form good ones that will change your life for the better, it gets a lot easier if you know what you're dealing with. So let's take a look at the science behind habits to understand them better and increase your chances of making a successful change in your life.

Habits have Cues

All habits have cues. These are the things that trigger a specific action within us. There are different categories of cues, and the experts believe that they fall into five main categories. These are:

* Your emotional state
* Specific times of the day
* What you see
* Where you are
* The influence of others

A habit is a neurological loop in your subconscious mind. When the right cue appears, it automatically triggers a behaviour. It's tough to change your response to these cues, especially if you have habits that have been around for years. Most of the time, we don't realise that our habits are being triggered by these cues.

There is always a Routine

As soon as you experience the right cue, then you will go through a routine. This means you will exhibit a particular behaviour or take specific actions. Knowing this is important because it provides you with the opportunity to replace a bad routine with a good one.

Many experts will tell you that it's far more effective to replace a bad routine with a good one than it is to attempt to totally eliminate a bad habit altogether. This makes a lot of sense as we don't want to leave a void begging to be filled, and it makes the process of breaking your bad habits much easier if you replace the routine with something better.

Habits have Rewards

All habits have a reward associated with them. You may not realise this, but it's true. Each time you smoke a cigarette or eat junk food, there is a reward attached to this. Smoking may make you feel relaxed, for example. And good habits have rewards too, such as cleaning your teeth making your mouth and breath feel fresh.

You Crave Habits

When you exercise a habit you receive your reward and as you repeat your habits again and again your brain will start to crave whatever the reward is. This craving strengthens the habit, whether it is good or bad.

The craving is a positive thing for good habits because it makes the habit stick. On the flip side, it's a negative for those bad habits because it will constantly nag at you to indulge in them.

So now you are aware of the habit neurological loop and the benefits and pitfalls it brings. This will help you break any bad habits you have and form new ones that are good for you.

It's simply a matter of addressing the cues, routines and rewards to make the changes you desire. Of course, it's not so simple in practice, but knowing the enemy is the first step to defeating it.