Habits: The Research
Misconceptions are rife, you deserve the facts
Abstract
Whilst writing my post about routine, I wondered why I haven’t come across more sources of information prior to making it my intention to find these sources.
It even got to a point where after looking at articles, videos, and podcasts, I realised there was a limited range of viewpoints on the topic.
Upon seeing this, I realised that I knew little about the science and technicalities behind having a routine, let alone its role in habits.
Now after learning that routine forms a part of habits, this gave an indication as to why ‘habit’ is used as a buzzword.
With habits being broader than once conceived, alongside this going against the general narrative of habits being the foundation, I was driven to learning more about them.
In my first research post, I have tried to best collate the most useful information along with making them relatable with my understanding and perspective, as it is important to understand the facts behind the narrative.
Research & Discussion
Habits are an essential part of our lives as around 40 percent of our behaviour is habitual, but amongst the plethora of information available, it is difficult to avoid misconceptions.
Throughout this exploration, my areas of research will be driven by the key misconception of repetition = habit.
The structure of the discussion will be misconception and then the research and explanation, where I hope you find the journey of uncovering the facts interesting and informative.
Repetition ≠ Habit
Throughout my research I anticipated the possibility of there being different definitions for habits as well as the components that form them.
However, even though there were commonalities between them, it was clear that there is no consensus of the definition.
This is because, dependent on whether you are looking through a psychological lens or a non-technical one, developments are still being made to better understand what habits actually are.
Repetition positions itself as a key factor but is portrayed as being the sole drive behind creating habits in mainstream media.
Given this, I will cultivate a broad overview of the research found around the relation between repetition and habits, where I will summarise the findings to create an informed judgement.
Background
The first research paper I came across was one that placed emphasis on the role of repetition.
This is the 2006 paper called ‘Habits - A repeat performance’, written by researchers David T. Neal, Wendy Wood, and Jeffrey M. Quinn.
They proclaimed that:
“[Habits] are learned through a process in which repetition incrementally tunes cognitive processors in procedural memory.”
I made sure to simplify the definition so as to narrow the focus.
First, cognitive means connected with thinking or conscious mental processes.
Procedural memory is a type of implicit memory; these are memories that form without effort and are subconscious.
For example, when you get the lyrics of a song stuck in your head.
Therefore, given that “repetition incrementally tunes cognitive processors in procedural memory”, the relation described in this research paper shows how repetition is responsible for facilitating stronger memory and developing habits.
This is supported by a 2022 research paper investigating habit formation; it stated “the key determinant of habit development is consistent repetition, not time”.
The point being made here is that time cannot be a metric for repetition, as habits have a focus on the repeated behaviour rather than repetition of an act at a specific time.
Consequentially, if you are attempting to cultivate a habit, the focus is not only on the specific act being exhibited, but rather what you are doing around that main focus to enable behavioural change.
What you do around the main focus will be discussed at further length later in this post.
Nonetheless, through the longevity behind the agreed role of repetition in habits, it has been shown to be a key component.
The first caveat with regards to repetition, is what exactly we are repeating, as immediately discussed before.
Are we repeating the behaviour or the time we are doing an act?
A second and more pertinent caveat is the assumption that repetition alone is responsible for habit formation.
As discussed in my previous post, there is a formula which provides a concise breakdown of what creates a habit:
Habit = (cue + routine + reward) repetition
So far, I have explored the routine element prior to this post and repetition in this post.
Despite this, it is still easy to assume that repetition is doing the heavy lifting in this equation.
Because of this, we are going to look into the cue and reward elements.
Cue
The cue is the context, it is what nudges you towards a specific behaviour.
Depending on the situation, it can be a stealthy puppet master or an underappreciated cog in the machine.
It is the subconscious element of the equation, where your environment can have a more influential impact than you think.
A 2019 study published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedias, highlights habits being “cue-dependent” and that “strong habitual tendencies will tend to dominate over motivational tendencies.”
This alludes to the repetition caveat; behavioural change is necessary around the main focus, which is the habit being adopted.
Therefore, even if you are disciplined in remaining true to a target of going for a walk every day for the health benefits, it will not necessarily just become a habit.
Details that go further than time - the type of food you eat, the activities, or the type of clothes you wear prior to walking are examples of things that can promote that behavioural change.
These are all examples of cues.
This is backed by the 2022 research article referenced earlier, stating that habitual behaviours “are regulated by contextual stimuli rather than conscious decision-making.”
This means that the seemingly minor details in the run-up to behaving in a specific way are ultimately more influential than the conscious decision itself.
The cue’s importance is reinstated by the popular 2009 research article - ‘How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world’. It stated:
“As behaviours are repeated in consistent settings they then begin to proceed more efficiently and with less thought as control of the behaviour transfers to cues in the environment that activate an automatic response: a habit.”
FYI
A side point on why this 2009 article in particular is popular:
This article is commonly cited as a point of reference as it dispelled the commonly held belief that habits take 21 days to form.
How did this belief come about?
Cosmetic surgeon, Maxwell Maltz stated it takes 21 days to form or break a habit, a figure based on Maltz's observations of the time it took his patients to adjust to their new faces.
This became conventional wisdom as a result of his book ‘Psycho-Cybernetics’, which sold millions of copies (and people) leading to the belief that it was in fact a proven consensus.
The book was first published in 1960, meaning that this claim had plenty of time to marinate.
However, through its primary research, the research article dispelled this by finding that it takes anywhere between 18 and 254 days to form a habit, with an average timespan of 66 days.
The article’s focus on automated behaviours, which are actions conducted with little deliberation, depicts cues as the positive reinforcement needed for habits to be enacted.
In other words, your brain can associate your behaviour with these cues which subconsciously triggers specific behaviour.
Now reverting back to the Oxford study mentioned earlier, it also highlighted the developing opinion in how habits are formed:
“It has been argued that adding habit formation components into behaviour change interventions should shield new behaviours against motivational lapses, making them more sustainable in the long-term.”
This leads me to the last habit formation component.
Reward
This element’s focus is on dopamine, a neurotransmitter which is widely publicised.
Andrew Huberman’s podcast episode titled ‘The Science of Making and Breaking Habits’, explains how dopamine plays an imperative role.
In his talk around the chemical, he says:
“Dopamine, contrary to popular belief, is not a reward molecule, so much as it is a molecule of motivation and drive… [it] will allow you to experience an increase in energy and thereby an increase in likelihood that you're going to engage in that entire sequence of events. And the reason for that is that dopamine gives us energy, and the reason for that is that the molecule epinephrine, adrenaline, is actually manufactured from dopamine.”
In the context of this post, this quote encapsulates the interdependence between the components that amount to a habit.
Without the reward element, you rid of the component that supplies the motivation to follow through with the repetitions and routine, which as a result reduces the responsiveness of the cues that prompt you towards habitual behaviour.
On a wider scale, dopamine can change the wiring of neurons in the brain; building connections that link the reward with behaviour, which thereby can prompt you to repeat it.
By acknowledging the role of each component behind how habits are formed, repetition's role in reinforcement became clearer:
There is a feedback loop between habits, repetition, cue, routine, and reward as a collective.
The complex nature of how they interact emphasise how intentional forethought and behaviour are necessary to adopt your desired habits.
Although not all elements are controllable, we can have a sizeable impact by recognising what components change as we change different environments and as a result reduce our dependence on the context around us to cultivate positive habits.
Conclusion
By no means does the research invalidate commitments such as the variations of the 90-day challenge for example.
In fact, the research champions the prolonged repetition of specific behaviour, as it boosts the likelihood of us adopting it as a habit.
Conversely, what the research shows is that the behaviours exhibited during such a period does not guarantee them becoming habits.
So, amidst the plethora of information, what actionable points can you take away?
First, it would be to adopt a questioning mind and don’t take things at face value.
If there’s one thing this post has taught me, it is the complexity beneath the surface, where the interconnectivity of a number of factors build a habit.
Whether the habits you are trying to change are positive or negative, the power of its components can instil them alongside the appropriate reinforcement meaning behaviours will be repeated.
After all, the brain cannot differentiate between what is a good and bad habit, which is why it is pivotal to be patient in observing how your habits change.
To increase your awareness around them, here are some questions that can be reflected on:
Presently, what can I change and why?
How would my future plans/steps affect the habits I currently have and what potential habits may I adopt?
Patience, determination, and self-discipline: What sacrifices may be necessary to gain those unappealing benefits?
Alongside reflection, experimentation is where the most knowledge about yourself will be drawn from.
This has the potential to lead to a drastic change in mindset and viewpoint on habits.
I think the first sentence of the 2019 study from the Oxford Research Encyclopedias encapsulates the relation in which we are trying to better understand through the questions above:
“Theory proposes that, through consistent performance, behaviours become habitual such that they are initiated automatically upon encountering cues via the activation of learned context-behaviour associations.”
Being aware of the automatic associations we make with the context around us can be the foundation to building habits we want, and being aware of its process can prompt us to tweak our view of habits.
There is no one size fits all, and this research has shown me that it is one thing to be sceptical yet still believe the narrative, against actually knowing the facts.
I hope I have prompted reflection, displayed the facts, and overall made an informative post, where I would be interested to also get your thoughts on habits.
P.S.
First research post: Thoughts on the new style and its content?
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