Habits

Building habits: The science behind them and how you can use them for yourself

Marion Müller, 26.10.2023

Habits are an important part of our everyday lives. They can help us live healthier, be more productive, and achieve our goals. But why do some behaviors become habits while others don't? This blog post dives into the science of habit building and shows how we can consciously develop new habits.

The role of biology and the physical state
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Our bodies and brains play a crucial role in building habits. The nervous system combines behaviours not only with temporal aspects, but also with our current physical condition (Andrew Huberman, 2022). Our activity level, concentration, fatigue, and energy influence whether we carry out a specific habit. Biological processes as well as neurochemical processes, such as dopamine levels in the body, are responsible for these conditions. These processes are subject to natural fluctuations during a daily routine. The renowned Huberman Lab (Build or break habits using science-based tools - Huberman Lab, n.d.) has identified natural phases in the day that are associated with specific biological processes and neurochemical states. In the bibliography, you will find a link to the article. We can use this knowledge to optimize the development of habits and to plan them during favorable phases of the day.

What happens in the brain when habits are built?
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In the brain, every repetitive conduct of behavior leads to changes in so-called procedural memory (Andrew Huberman, 2022). This procedural memory stores how we perform specific tasks. It is, so to speak, the recipe for behavior. This learning process is supported by Hebbian learning, which strengthens synapses, i.e. connections between nerve cells in the brain (Wood & Rünger, 2016).

Rewards also play a crucial role. The discrepancy between expected and actual reward influences the learning process (Wood & Rünger, 2016). Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is released when unexpected rewards occur, strengthens the link between context and habit. When rewards become predictable, this effect decreases.

Why is context so important for habit building?
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The context in which we practice a habit plays a central role in building habits (Wood & Neal, 2007). In the brain, this context is linked to habit. It therefore learns to activate the corresponding nerve pathways in context x, which leads to the execution of the habit. Habits are therefore created through direct associations in the brain and/or through reward learning (if I do x habit y in this context, then I am rewarded).

The role of the psyche in habit building
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The psyche also plays an important role in habit building. Objectives are initially relevant to get the process started. Once the habit is established and automated, goals become less important (Wood & Rünger, 2016). How to best set goals can be found in the blog post to goals (link). Motivation, self-control and the ability to regulate emotions (link blog post) also influence our success in building habits.

Strategies that help build habits
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With this scientific background knowledge, we can now look at which strategies have proven helpful in building habits:

Planning according to the physical state:
Adapt your habits to your current physical condition to increase the chances of success. In Huberman Lab blog post Can you read which phase of the day you are in which state and how you can also influence these conditions. The influence comes from activities that activate the body and mind (such as dancing), when you have low energy or through activities that calm the body (such as breathing exercises) when you are stressed.

Changing context stimuli:
Which stimuli in your environment lead to which behavior? When establishing new habits, try to change environmental stimuli. Make desired options more accessible and use natural life changes to establish new habits (Wood & Neal, 2007). For example, you might take a new commute that automatically drives you past the fitness center. Or you can have your learning materials ready on your desk in the evening. Or you no longer floss in the box, but on the visible shelf. And so on.

visualizing:
Imagine yourself doing the habit step by step (Andrew Huberman, 2022). Visualize not only the action itself, but also the moment before and after. This helps to train procedural memory and already strengthens nerve pathways. This makes it easier to carry out the habit in reality.

Mental contrasting (Oettingen, 2012):
This is a method that helps both to emphasize the positive side of the habit so that motivation is maintained and to realistically think about what could go wrong. On the one hand, visualize how you are successfully carrying out the new behavior, but also consciously think about which obstacles may arise and how you can avoid them. It is best to write down your thoughts about this.

If then plans:
Decide in advance when (chronological order, not time of day) and where you will carry out the habit. It also helps to link new behavior with existing habits (e.g. whenever I put the toothbrush away after brushing my teeth, I write 3 sentences in my diary). It is even more helpful to write down your if-then sentence.

What isn't helpful
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Electronic reminders can interfere with habit building as they break the link between context and habit (Tobias 2009). Passive reminders such as post-its lose their effectiveness over time and are therefore not helpful either.

Linking the desired behavior to specific times only helps in the short term. Instead, set yourself a time frame and link the behavior to the context and daily routine. It is also not helpful if you reward yourself every time you practice a habit (Stawarz et al., 2015).

It is also important that there is no need to punish yourself or make up for missed days if you don't carry out a habit (Andrew Huberman, 2022). Just keep going and don't get discouraged, because habits need time to build up.

Building habits is a complex process that affects both the biology and the psyche of humans. However, by understanding these factors and applying targeted strategies, we can successfully develop new habits and make positive changes to our lives. I hope you're able to build the habits you want. Write in the comments which habits you would like to establish!

This blog post was written using ChatGPT.

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testimonials

Huberman, A. (2022, January 3).The Science of Making & Breaking Habits | Huberman Lab Podcast #53 [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcs2PFz5q6g

Huberman Lab. (2022, January 30).Build or break habits using science-based tools. Huberman Lab newsletter. https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/build-or-break-habits-using-science-based-tools

Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behavior change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1—63. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2011.643698

Stawarz, K., Cox, A.L., & Blandford, A. (2015). Beyond Self-Tracking and Reminders: Designing Smartphone Apps That Support Habit Formation. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 2653—2662. https://doi.org/10.1145/2702123.2702230

Wood, W., & Neal, D.T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological Review, 114(4), 843-863. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.114.4.843

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1), 289-314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417

Wood, W., Tam, L., & Witt, M.G. (2005). Changing circumstances, disrupting habits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(6), 918-933. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.88.6.918

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Recommended for further information:

Huberman, A. (2022, January 3).The Science of Making & Breaking Habits | Huberman Lab Podcast #53 [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wcs2PFz5q6g

Huberman Lab. (2022, January 30).Build or break habits using science-based tools. Huberman Lab newsletter. https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter/build-or-break-habits-using-science-based-tools

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67(1), 289-314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033417

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