book.chapter How habits form in the lives of individuals

It has been estimated that more than 40 percent of the actions we perform every day are the result of habits rather than deliberate decisions. Understanding how habits form and work is therefore important.vHabits operate via a "Habit Loop" – you see a cue which triggers a routine to obtain a reward you crave. To build new habits or change existing ones, keep the cue and reward the same but swap out old routines for new improved ones.vA habit is when you make a deliberate decision to do something and then stop thinking about it as you repeat the behavior automatically. Researchers at MIT studying habits since the 1990s found the basal ganglia section of the brain is involved in habit formation. The basal ganglia, roughly the size of a golf ball, is one of the evolutionarily oldest inner layers while creative thinking happens in outer layers. Scientists say habits emerge to conserve mental effort. The brain tries to make any routine a habit to ramp down more often. This saves energy and room in the skull, easing childbirth. It also frees us from constantly thinking about basic behaviors like walking so we can invent new things. However, if the brain powers down at the wrong time we might miss dangers. So the basal ganglia determines when to let habits take over, specifically when a behavior starts or ends. The Habit Loop that enables all habits has three parts: 1) A cue signals the brain to go on autopilot rather than deliberate, either external like the time or location or internal like your emotional state or a trigger action; 2) The routine is the automatic pattern of behavior done when the habit is cued; 3) The reward is what you get from the routine which helps your brain determine if the loop is worth remembering. Although habits constrain free will, the brain prefers efficiency so forms them automatically. Understanding the Habit Loop allows optimizing cues, routines and rewards to intentionally change habits.vPeople with basal ganglia damage from injury/disease become mentally paralyzed, having trouble with basic activities like opening doors or deciding what to eat, losing the hundreds of daily habits we rely on. Habits unconsciously influence behavior which can be dangerous if formed haphazardly rather than deliberately. Since the 1990s the science of habits has expanded substantially with major investments by universities, corporations and institutions like the U.S. Army to study changing ingrained habits.vThe key to making lasting habits is instilling craving for the reward. Legendary early 1900s advertiser Claude Hopkins took unknown brands like Quaker Oats and made them household names. His friend asked him to market a new toothpaste called Pepsodent. Few believed toothpaste useful then and hardly anyone brushed their teeth. Hopkins agreed to help market Pepsodent in exchange for stock options. In 5 years Pepsodent became globally famous, with over half of Americans brushing daily within a decade, making Hopkins a fortune. Hopkins created a habit by making people crave Pepsodent's reward. He learned teeth have a harmless film called plaque and advertised Pepsodent as removing this "film." The ads told people to feel the film on their teeth that caused decay and discoloration, triggering brushing. Pepsodent didn't actually remove plaque but contained irritants creating a cool tingling sensation when used. Soon people felt their mouth wasn't clean without Pepsodent's tingle. Rather than sell beautiful teeth, Hopkins sold a craving for the tingling feeling people associated with cleanliness, thereby habitualizing brushing. Understanding habit formation allows intentionally instilling cravings that drive new habits. For instance to habituate gym-going: choose a cue like keeping gym shoes visible, define an alluring reward like a smoothie, and spark anticipatory craving by visualizing the reward feeling. Creating such cravings makes habits easier. The "Golden Rule of Habit Change" states that to change a habit you keep the cue and reward the same but insert a new routine. For example Alcoholics Anonymous, founded in 1934, doesn't address why people drink but provides a method to change drinking habits with its famous twelve steps. Researchers found AA works by helping identify habit loop cues/rewards and substituting new behaviors giving similar relief. Admitting triggers and out of control moments forces creating non-drinking routines while still getting existing rewards like escape and catharsis from sponsors or gatherings rather than alcohol. This habit reversal training approach of keeping cues/rewards the same while replacing routines has impacted many habits. Another AA insight is that alcoholics often relapse due to stress reactivating old habits even if new ones form. Researchers found spirituality correlated with sobriety success though not directly causing it. What mattered was learning belief itself, which transferred to believing in capacity to change one's habits. AA provides a supportive community that practices believing things can improve until that becomes reality. So beyond keeping cues/rewards the same, permanent habit change requires believing change is possible, often only achieved through group reinforcement. There is no universal formula as changing ingrained habits is difficult, but keeping cues/rewards consistent while substituting routines, and adopting group belief in success, stacks the odds favorably.